


Falling Slowly

by Kamaro0917



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bella Swan with a Backbone, Bella deserved better, Bisexual Bella, But kinda., Changing Rose’s backstory, Charlie tried, Drama, Edward Cullen Bashing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Freeform, New Moon Redo, Not exactly crack, OOC Bella, OOC Rose, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rose is still in HS, This is becoming a slower burn than I intended., bisexual Rosalie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 43,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28748361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamaro0917/pseuds/Kamaro0917
Summary: Three weeks. Twenty one days since the Cullens left. Five hundred hours since he left her alone in the woods with nothing but a broken heart and a promise that it would be as if they never existed.Needless to say, it came as quite a shock when Bella walked into the cafeteria on Monday and saw that the table in the corner was occupied.
Relationships: Rosalie Hale/Bella Swan
Comments: 383
Kudos: 934





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was talking to some folks on discord and we started building upon a bunch of ideas. Anyway, I decided to take a stab at stringing it all together into a story. I have no idea how long this will be or where exactly it's going to go, I'm a very 'fly by the seat of my pants' writer.  
> This is my first Rosella and I don't have a beta, so I'm still trying to get their voices right in my head. Please bear with me (or let me know how I'm doing, for better or worse). I know they will have OOC moments. It's also 2021 and I'm writing Twilight fic... so take it with a grain of salt. 
> 
> Starting with a bit of expo to set the stage but it won't last for long.

Three weeks. Twenty one days since the Cullens left. Five hundred hours since _he_ left her alone in the woods with nothing but a broken heart and a promise that it would be as if they never existed. 

Bella grieved for days, wallowing in her self pity. She went through the rhythm of each day like a zombie on autopilot. At night she cried herself to sleep, desperately clutching herself tight as if that would fill the void growing inside her chest. It didn’t. Even when she managed to fall asleep, it was short lived. Each night was plagued by nightmares and she woke herself (and Charlie) up screaming bloody murder. 

Her dad was a saint for putting up with her. She felt guilty. She was depressed, not blind. She saw the dark circles under his eyes and his exceptionally disheveled appearance - as opposed to his normal level of disheveledness. She knew her behavior was wearing on him but she couldn't stop it. 

He had stopped rushing into her room when her cries filled the dark house after a week of three am wake up calls. The first nights he sat up with her, trying to comfort her until she drifted off again. Once it was clear his presence made no difference, he opted instead to let herself cry herself back to sleep in private. 

She had always appreciated that he didn’t hover. 

To spare them both, she avoided him whenever possible, sequestering herself away in her room whenever she was home. It was better this way. She hated seeing the hopelessness in his eyes; the lost looks of him not knowing how to reach her. The pitying gazes were nearly impossible to stomach but the looks of understanding were worse. She wondered if this was what it was like for him when her mom took her away; fleeing to the sunny climes of Arizona all those years ago. Probably. She always thought she was more like Charlie than Renée. 

Fortunately, her period of depression didn’t last. After two weeks, something shifted within and the hole in her chest didn’t hurt as badly. Instead of being hollow, she was filled with anger and bitterness for having been played a fool. 

She had been so naive; so gullible. She let herself believe all of those gilded words spoken by a silver-tongued devil. What beautiful lies. She hadn’t realized just how under his spell she was until the rug was pulled out from under her feet.

He told her they were mates and as such he would never do anything to hurt her. But that’s exactly what he had done. She couldn’t think of anything he could have done that would have been _more_ hurtful. 

They barely talked after her disastrous birthday party, so there had been no resolution or closure. Maybe if they actually had a healthy discussion she would have understood his reasoning. Maybe she would have even agreed that the Cullens leaving was for the best. If nothing else, at least she would have had the chance to speak her piece. 

But he hadn’t afforded her that luxury. All he did was tell her that he didn’t want her, that she wasn’t good enough for him, and that she was a mistake. He put the blame on her and made himself the victim. 

Then he was gone. 

To make matters worse, he took his family with him. A family that she had grown to love and care for. A family that claimed to love her back - with one blonde exception. Even Jasper, ever the southern gentleman, was respectful around her, despite the discomfort she caused him. Rosalie, however, had always treated her with unmasked contempt and disdain; always glaring at her as if she carried some disgusting human disease. She never knew what she had done to make the blonde hate her so much. 

The others were warmer to her, and had welcomed her into the family with open arms. Alice and Emmett were the siblings she never had. Carlisle was a sort of mentor and patient sounding board for her countless questions. And Esme. Esme was exactly the mother-figure she had dreamt of when she was younger. Renée had tried - sort of - but she really wasn’t cut out to be a parent. 

But in a flash they were gone, and she hadn’t even had the chance to say goodbye to them. And it was his fault. She knew that he had sway over them, even though Carlisle was the Coven leader, and had probably convinced them all to leave. Why else would Alice willingly abandon her? At least, that’s what she told herself. 

How could he do such a thing if he truly cared for her? She had spent many hours reflecting on this question. It didn’t make sense. Then the truth hit her like a simultaneous punch to the head, heart, and gut. 

He didn’t; not really. Their relationship was just a beautifully crafted illusion. 

While she hadn’t believed it at the time, James’ taunting words that she was nothing more than a plaything, a pet on a short leash, rang true. Once she was no longer convenient, _he_ discarded her like yesterday’s paper. When the going got tough, he chose to run rather than stay and try to work through the rough patch.

While she admittedly had limited experience when it came to dating, and even less in the way of good role models (if anything, Renée had provided her more examples of what _not_ to do) Bella knew that relationships took work and effort from both parties. They were supposed to be about balance, understanding, communication, and respect. Through highs and lows, through thick and thin. It was only after he left that Bella realized just how lacking their relationship was in those categories. 

He wanted to control her but never took her seriously or truly listened to what she had to say. He would ask her for her opinions but never took her words into consideration; his mind was already set and wouldn’t change regardless of what she said. But he manipulated her with smooth words and deflection to make it sound like it had been her idea all along and she hadn’t realized what was happening.

In the end it was always him calling the shots, so she subconsciously stopped trying. After all, in his own words she was just a frail, silly human. How could she possibly know what was best for her? 

Her desire to be turned was a perfect example of this. It was her body, her life - and afterlife. It _should_ have been her choice, but somehow it was _his_ decision and he said no. In what universe did that make any sense? 

Additionally, if they were mates, wouldn’t he want an eternity with her? Clearly something was amiss there, she just hadn’t seen it at the time. It was just another nail in the proverbial coffin.

_Well, fool me once, shame on you._

Bella would not be fooled twice. 

Needless to say, it came as quite a shock when Bella walked into the cafeteria on Monday and saw that the table in the corner was occupied. 

But it wasn’t the vampire she was expecting. 

Never in a million years would Bella expect to see Rosalie Hale sitting alone in a high school cafeteria. She was certain that the statuesque blonde hated repeating high school (who wouldn’t?) and only did it to keep up appearances for her family’s sake. Yet there she was in all her glory, casually reading a magazine and ignoring everyone’s existence. 

Blonde waves cascaded perfectly down slim shoulders and across her brown leather jacket. Bella couldn’t see the rest of her outfit but she was willing to bet her life savings that it was designer all the way. Rosalie would never settle for less. The vampire’s smooth, flawless skin looked like it had been carved from marble by Michelangelo or Bernini. Full red lips were drawn into a neutral pout as she idly flipped through the pages. 

Maybe it was her excitement to see a vampire - any vampire - but Bella was convinced that she had never seen a more beautiful sight. She stood there dumbly, clutching her brown sack lunch with her breath caught in her throat. She had to remind herself to breathe again. 

Golden eyes flicked up to meet her stare and Bella felt the wind rush out of her lungs once more. 

Rosalie held her gaze for a moment before her eyes narrowed into the predictable glare. The sentiment was not lost. 

_‘Oh right.’_

If there was only one thing Rosalie hated more than repeating high school, it was Bella Swan. Her heart fell somewhere into her stomach. 

Mike’s shout was her saving grace, pulling her out of her stupor. _‘Thank god for that golden retriever posing as a teenage boy.’_ She willed her legs to move again and headed over to the table to join him, Jessica, Angela and Eric. Thankfully Lauren and Tyler were off somewhere else. She didn’t know if she had the capacity to deal with two HBICs at the same time. 

Bella half heartedly listened to Jessica dish her latest round of gossip, most of which revolved around Rosalie’s unexpected return. She hadn’t realized the bubbly brunette had finished her speculating until she felt several sets of eyes boring into her. 

“Huh, what?” Bella blinked as she looked up from the sandwich clutched in her fingers. Everyone was staring expectantly.

“I said, you were close to the Cullens, right? Surely you know something?” Jessica prompted with an impatient huff. 

“Are the rest coming back, too?” Mike chimed in, his watery blue eyes full of concern that his competition might be returning. Silly boy.

“Oh, uh, no. It’s been radio silence since… you know. I’m just as surprised as you are.” Bella responded truthfully. 

She felt her anger rising in her chest at the reminder of the deafening silence the Cullens left in their wake. She had emailed Alice countless times over the past three weeks. Each was returned with a bounce back error. 

There were several murmurs of understanding, and Angela gave her shoulder a gentle pat. No one else pushed the matter. Not even Jessica, who let the subject drop. The brunette had matured quite a bit over the summer. She was still the gossip queen, but she had actually learned to respect certain boundaries. 

Her friends had been surprisingly supportive during what Bella dubbed as ‘the fall out period.’ They’d given her space when she needed to wallow, and had welcomed her back when she was ready to face the world again. Jessica and Angela were there with open arms and a year’s supply of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Eric made her a CD of angsty break up songs while Mike took her out to hit things with his baseball bat - at great risk to his own personal well being, she noted. 

Bella shrugged and went back to carelessly picking at the crust of her bread. She didn’t have much of an appetite anymore. She would occasionally feel Rosalie’s stare burning into her back but she refused to look.

The rest of the day dragged by. Thankfully she didn’t share any classes with Rosalie. Her schedule had been arranged by _him_ to align with his own, which she had been far too happy about at the time, and the blonde probably scheduled her own class load to minimize contact. 

_‘God, I really was pathetic.’_

The parking lot was mostly empty by the time she got to her truck. She saw the cherry red BMW convertible sitting a few spots down. It was weird to see it without the usual band of golden-eyed immortals loitering around it. 

She started up the truck and headed home without a second thought. 

The rest of the week passed uneventfully. And then another week. Rosalie was still there but she had made no attempt to engage and Bella didn’t feel like extending the olive branch. At least her initial resentment at the blonde’s presence had tapered off to general indifference. 

She was looking forward to the weekend. Charlie was going to go fishing with Billy and Harry, now that he had deemed it safe for her to be left alone again. As awkward as he was, she knew that her dad really cared about her. He just didn’t know how to express himself sometimes. 

Unfortunately, the universe had other ideas.

“Shit!” Bella exclaimed, turning the ignition again. The engine puttered once then choked. She got out, slamming the door a little harder than strictly necessary, and made her way to the front of the truck. She huffed as she tugged on the hood, which groaned in protest and refused to budge. 

“This truck is an embarrassment to automobiles around the world.”

“Wow, thank you for your completely unwelcome opinion.” Bella shot back, not bothering to look. She didn’t need to. She would recognize that haughty tone anywhere. “I’m sorry that not all of us can afford top of the line sport cars.” 

Rosalie didn’t respond, allowing a heavy silence to settle. After a few seconds that felt like hours, Bella couldn’t take the tension and she momentarily gave up on her attempts to pop the hood. She folded her arms across her chest and turned to face the vampire. 

“I thought you all left. Why are you here, Rosalie? I’m sure you have better things to do than to stand around insulting my truck.” Her voice had more bite than she was used to. Apparently getting dumped was all it took for her to grow a backbone. 

“Would it make a difference if I told you?”

“Not really, but I’d still like to know.”

Rosalie shrugged and inspected her nails for a moment before answering. “I didn’t agree with my family’s choice to leave. Unlike them, I’m not going to allow Edward to control my life or dictate my decisions. If the rest of the family wants to bow to his theatrics then that’s their prerogative. Besides, you’re a human who knows about what we are.”

“I wouldn’t tell anyone about you…” Bella did her best not to wince hearing his name. 

“Well, that’s not a risk I’m willing to take. You’ve already caused a rift in my family and I’d rather be here to ensure nothing else happens.” Rosalie responded coolly, her eyes narrowed. The unspoken ‘or else’ lingered between them. Driving the knife in further, Rosalie continued. “It’s not because I like you. I couldn’t care less what you do to squander the rest of your inconsequential human life. I’m here for them because apparently no one else in my family seems to realize what a liability you are.”

_‘So Rosalie returned to keep tabs on me. Noted.’_

Bella didn’t say anything else. What else was there to say? Instead she turned her attention back to her original task, trying her best to ignore the vampire next to her. After a few more pulls she managed to wrench the hood loose and accessed the truck’s innards.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” 

Bella growled under her breath rather than deign to respond. She started poking various bits and bobs but didn’t have a clue what anything was. 

_‘Maybe it’s the carburetor? I feel like it’s always the carburetor. Wait... What the hell is a carburetor? God, I should have listened more to Jake when he tried to explain this to me.’_

“This is like watching an infant trying to perform brain surgery. Between the two of you, I’d put my money on the infant.”

“This might come as a surprise, but I don’t care about what you think. Either help me or leave me alone.” Bella snapped. The vampire stared at her for a moment before quickly smoothing over her shocked expression.

“Fine. Good luck with the scrap metal.” Rosalie turned on her four inch stiletto and stalked across the parking lot. 

Bella blinked after her, her resentment building every step of the way. How one person could be so haughty and condescending was beyond her. It must be a vampire thing. She was still glaring when Rosalie called over her shoulder.

“You just need to adjust the battery clamps.” Without another word, the vampire slid into her car and shot off. 

It wasn’t until the BMW was out of the parking lot and far down the street that Bella looked back under the hood. Sure enough, the clamp on the negative node was dangling limply. Begrudgingly, she reattached it and headed home. 

Bella awoke early Monday morning feeling surprisingly active and ready to go. The weekend had been perfect. The weather gods had graced them with a rare bit of sun, which allowed her to get out and read in the yard. 

The boost of vitamin D had her feeling re-energized and gave her a pep to her step as she showered and got ready for the day. She was tugging on her favorite hoodie as she descended the stairs when an unexpected voice had her freezing in her tracks. 

“Carlisle had an opportunity to transfer to New York General. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.” 

_‘What the hell was she doing in her house? And why was she quoting the Godfather?’_

“But what about the rest of your family?”

“My siblings, aside from Emmett, are still minors, so they had to stay with Carlisle and Esme. Emmett got an internship and moved to Boston. I went to help them move and get settled but returned as soon as I was able. I prefer the quaintness and simplicity here.”

There was a bit of a lull. Bella could practically hear the gears churning in Charlie’s head. “I know it’s impolite to ask a lady her age, but how are you a senior? Shouldn’t you have graduated already?”

“Due to my year studying abroad, I have to retake senior year to make up the credits. I believe the term is ‘super senior.’” 

_‘Clever cover story…’_ Bella had secretly been wondering which strings Rosalie had pulled to retake senior year.

“So you’re here and your family is in New York? Must be lonely up there all alone in that big house. You’re sure you are okay?”

“I’m a very independent woman. I am sure I will manage.”

“All the same… We’d be happy to have you over if you need company.” 

_‘Oh god, Charlie, of all the times for you to learn how to be hospitable.’_

“That’s very kind, I’ll consider it. I wouldn’t want to be an imposition.”

“It would be no trouble at all! I know Bella has some history with your family and all but I'm sure she can put those feelings aside for a friend in need.” 

_‘Please. Shut. Up.’_

Bella finished pulling on her sweatshirt as she rounded the kitchen. This had gone on long enough and it was time to play damage control. 

“Morning, Dad. Rosalie, what an _unexpected_ surprise.” 

“Bells! Hi! You didn’t tell me Rosalie was back in school and in your year!”

“Must have slipped my mind.” Bella shrugged, hurrying past the vampire seated at the table as she made a beeline for the coffee pot. “Why are you here, Rosalie?”

“I was concerned about your truck. I remembered it was having issues last week and wanted to follow up.”

“Issues? What kind of issues?” Charlie straightened up in his seat and fixed Bella with a concerned look.

“It was just the battery.” Bella bit back before taking a big gulp of dark roast blend. _‘Ack, Charlie burned it again.’_ She grimaced but took another sip. “Besides, it was an easy fix. Nothing to worry about.”

“True, but who’s to say the next issue won’t be more serious?” Rosalie’s feigned sweetness had Bella on edge. She couldn’t determine what Rosalie was playing at, but she had a sinking feeling that she wasn’t going to like it. 

“I think it’s fine. I mean, it’s running the same as it always has. Last week was just a fluke.” Bella rolled her eyes into her mug. 

“With all due respect, I’m not sure you’re the best authority on the matter.” Rosalie shifted her coffee mug between her slender fingers then pretended to take a sip. “I’ve got years of experience as a mechanic. It’s very important to properly maintain your vehicle. Faulty components account for hundreds of accidents each year, all of which could be easily avoided with basic preventative maintenance.” 

Bella’s mouth ran dry when she saw the corners of those perfectly full red lips pull into an infuriating smirk. It was very difficult to focus on being annoyed when the reason for said annoyance looked so damn good. _‘Wait, what? Where the hell did that come from?_ ’ Bella’s scowl deepened. 

Charlie watched the exchange between the two women; blissfully unaware of the subtle inflections and thinly masked animosity. For being the Chief of Police, he was really bad with people. “Mechanic, huh? That’s pretty cool. Did you know that, Bells?”

Bella shrugged noncommittally, still glowering into her mug. 

“Yes. I do all the work on my family’s cars.”

“Well, good for you! Great hobby if I say so myself. It’s refreshing to see the younger generation taking interest in something practical for a change. Spending all that time on FaceSpace and MyBook or whatever they’ve come up with. Waste of time in my opinion.”

_‘Younger generation my ass. She’s older than both of us combined. In fact, of the three of us, she was the only one alive when the stupid truck was made.’_

“You flatter me, Charlie.” _‘Charlie? Since when was Rosalie was on a first name basis with my dad?’_ “It’s quite simple, really. It’s just a matter of knowing the different components and what they do.”

“Yeah, okay, fine. I’ll have Jake take a look next weekend. He rebuilt it, after all.” Bella finished her drink and rinsed the mug. So that’s what Rosalie was playing at. She needed to nip this in the bud. Jake was a perfect out. She would buy him a pizza to make up for using him as an excuse. Plus it had been a while since they’d hung out. 

“I’m sure he would do an… acceptable job but I must insist it be looked at by someone with more expertise. I would be happy to lend my assistance. I have a full garage and workspace back at the house.”

“No kiddin? Well, let us at least pay you for parts and labor.”

“I’ll accept reimbursement for the parts but this is a passion of mine, I’m happy to do the work free of charge.”

“Wow, that’s mighty generous!” Charlie beamed, completely missing the death glare his daughter was shooting at their guest.

_‘Crap.’_

“Yeah, that’s way too generous. We couldn’t possibly take advantage of your _good will_.” Bella wasn’t even trying to conceal the sarcasm in her voice as she continued to eye the blonde warily, still trying to figure out the blonde’s endgame. This was all very suspicious. She hated how easy it was for Rosalie to turn on her charm and get Charlie on her side. She knew she wasn’t going to win in an argument against them both.

“I insist, you’d be doing me a favor. I haven’t had the chance to work on a classic Chevy in many long years. I’ll have it towed to my place today while we’re at school so I can start tonight.”

“Well, that certainly makes me feel better. I’ll rest easy knowing that truck is in tip top order.” Charlie smiled broadly. “Need a ride to school, Bells? I don’t have to be at the station until later.” 

“I’ll walk, it’s fine.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I can give you a ride. We’re going to the same place, after all. Besides, it is my fault you are short of a vehicle.”

Bella ground her teeth. She really didn’t want to walk; there were far too many opportunities for her to encounter a disaster along the way. She also hated the idea of having to spend more time with Rosalie and was genuinely baffled why the blonde vampire was offering to fix her truck. That, and she didn’t want to be in debt to the Cullens for anything. But it would probably take the bulk of her college savings to pay for the fixes Rosalie was offering to do.

“Okay, fine. But just for the week.” Bella finally conceded. 

“Good, let's go then.” Rosalie stood gracefully, taking her mug to the sink. Now that she was standing, Bella could fully appreciate the vampire’s ensemble. She looked stunning in her white button up, navy sweater vest, and fitted jeans. Bella was certain she had seen that exact outfit on the cover of Jessica’s most recent fashion magazine. 

“Fine. I’ll be right out. I’ve got to get my pack.” Bella dismissed the blonde, who went to stand in the entryway.

“Well, the sister, I like. So polite. And what a generous offer to work on the truck.” Charlie got to his feet with a groan. 

_‘Great, Charlie is the newest member of the Rosalie Hale fan club. Just what I need.’_ Bella fought the urge to roll her eyes. _‘If only he knew what a grade A jerk she is.’_

“Yeah, real generous. See ya later. Be safe with those animals running around.”

“Always am.”

She gave Charlie a half-hearted wave over her shoulder and followed Rosalie out.

This was going to be a very long week.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I feel like I should mention that it has been yearssss since I’ve read these books so I’ll probably fok up the details here n there… But as the tags state, it’s a do-over story so it wasn’t going to strictly follow the story line or canon anyway. I’m also going to be changing Rose’s backstory a bit

The ride to school was awkward; neither Bella or Rosalie made any effort to speak during the ten minute drive through town. The sounds of smooth jazz filling the space did little to ease the tension, but at least it was pleasant to listen to.

Bella kept throwing surreptitious looks out of the corner of her eye. From what she could see of the blonde’s profile, it was clear she wasn’t going to glean any information by attempting to read the vampire’s nonexistent expressions, so she reluctantly admitted defeat. While she wanted to get to the bottom of things, her pride refused to let her be the first to crack. 

Instead of speaking, she made quiet observations about the car. It was beautiful; easily the nicest car she had ever been in. As Rosalie kindly pointed out, she didn’t know much about cars, but she could tell that the blonde was proud of it and took exceptional care of the vehicle. The engine purred like a kitten as it zipped along, every surface had been carefully buffed and polished, and the patent leather seats were soft and comfortable. Coupled with the songs on the radio and overall vintage atmosphere, it felt like taking a step back in time. 

_ ‘Who listens to AM radio anymore? This is like, straight out of the 20’s. I wonder what it was like to live back then.’  _

Bella begrudgingly found herself thinking about Rosalie’s existence. Had the blonde even lived back then? She could totally imagine Rosalie dressed up in her finery, dancing the night away at some classy speakeasy. Not that she was thinking of the blonde in any capacity, and definitely not in one of those shiny flapper dresses that would have shown off her toned legs. 

She blushed at the errant thought. She wasn’t interested in Rosalie like that! It was just an innocent observation. Anyone with half a brain cell would agree that the blonde was undeniably gorgeous and had a killer body. Right? Oh god, was she interested in Rosalie? No. Definitely not.

Eager to steer her mind into safer territory, she thought about what she knew of the Roaring 20’s. She had read  _ The Great Gatsby _ and other classic novels, but she had the feeling that a lot of that was embellished and romanticized. Yes, there was glitz and glam, but there was a dark side to the bright lights and big city. Mob activity fueled staggering levels of crime and general lawlessness that was often overlooked in history books. 

Maybe she would ask Rosalie about it one day, for no reason other than the fact that she was interested in the time period, of course. But that was a very big ‘maybe’ considering the small but ever-so-important-detail that they weren’t friends. As the blonde reminded her, she was only there to keep an eye on her and ensure that Bella didn’t divulge any vampiric secrets. Bella doubted that Rosalie would just share her personal life stories. Even if she asked, Rosalie would probably just ignore her out of spite. 

Truthfully, she didn’t know much - anything, really - about the other Cullens. She had always had her blinders on and was so focused on one vampire that she never asked about the rest of them. She could only guess that Carlisle was very old since he was the leader and had learned enough self control to work in a hospital and he had turned Edw- him first. The rest was a mystery. 

In retrospect, it was very rude and inconsiderate for her not to learn more about the others, but that hardly mattered anymore. 

She quickly shook her head as subtly as she could to rid herself of her current line of thought. She didn’t want to know about Rosalie’s life. She didn’t care. They weren’t friends and last she checked, Rosalie loathed her very existence and the risk she represented. The blonde vampire had no qualms with making her opinions known and Bella had been on the receiving end of many sharp comments. 

_ “She’s a danger to all of us, Edward! What were you thinking, bringing her here? The entire family will be implicated if this ends poorly. Humans aren’t supposed to know about us. You know the laws. The Volturi-” _

She had never heard the rest of Rosalie’s rant when he had brought her to meet the family for the first time. Her ex had cut his sibling off with a sharp hiss before promptly whisking her away for a grand tour of the rest of the house. 

If she had been less enamored by the copper-haired vampire dragging her around, she might have wondered what Rosalie had meant to say before she was interrupted. When she asked him about it later, he just shrugged it off and told her that everything was handled and not to worry. Being the stupid lamb she was at the time, she had just let it go without a second thought. 

Thinking back, she had seen something akin to fear flash across Rosalie’s perfect face, but it was so brief that she might have imagined it. It was strange to think that an indestructible, immortal being would be threatened by something as inconsequential as a single human life. 

After that day, the blonde had avoided her like the Plague. She rarely came down into the shared living space when Bella was over and they had never spent time one-on-one before. She hadn’t even wanted to help when James was after her and only agreed because Carlisle basically threatened her.

So why the sudden change in heart?

Bella could only conclude that this was probably just some new sick and elaborate scheme and she wasn’t going to fall for the act. If past experience taught her anything, it was that vampires enjoyed toying with humans for their own amusement and she doubted that Rosalie was any different. Admittedly, she didn’t know much about the mysterious Miss Hale, but she wouldn’t put it past her to be doing this as a way of exacting revenge for splitting up her family. Or maybe she was simply bored and chose to take her frustration out on the ‘sniveling, pathetic human’ - one of Rosalie’s favorite terms to describe her. 

Hadn’t she been through enough already? Why couldn’t Rosalie just leave her alone? She didn’t have the energy or patience to deal with more vampire mind games. 

Truthfully, she actually would have preferred it if things went back to the way they had been last year rather than this strange limbo she found herself in. Rosalie might have treated her like the dirt beneath her designer heels, but at least she knew where she stood with the blonde woman. Now, she wasn’t sure anymore. And that made her nervous.

Refusing to give it anymore thought, she stared out the window as ‘downtown Forks’ - all five blocks of it - rushed by. 

She could do this. She just had to endure five mornings and then she would be back in her beloved Chevy and Rosalie-free once more. 

Rosalie pulled into her usual spot - no one dared take it. Without looking over, she finally broke her silence. “I’ll wait for you here after school.”

“You don’t have to. I’ve got work at Newton’s and Mike can give me a ride.” Bella shot back, letting acid permeate her words. She couldn’t do much, but she could at least convey her displeasure at the situation. She was shocked to hear a small growl build in Rosalie’s throat when she mentioned Mike, but the rumble was quickly silenced. 

“Fine. I’ll pick you up tomorrow then. Don’t be late.” The vampire swept out of the car without a second look. 

Bella had to admit, if there was one thing she preferred about getting rides from Rosalie over Edw-him, it was that Rosalie never honked impatiently to get her attention in the morning. The blonde vampire always came to the door and knocked politely. It was a small gesture, but appreciated all the same. 

She came bounding down the stairs - nearly tripping on the last step - when she heard the rhythmic knock on the front door at precisely 7:45. It was finally Friday! While she was looking forward to the weekend, the day held special significance.

Four days had passed since her beloved truck had been taken captive and she would be getting it back tonight. As much as she enjoyed the feel of patent leather seats and smooth jazz in the morning, she missed her truck and all its quirks, as well as the independence it offered. 

As with every other morning that week, the vampire acknowledged her with a stiff nod before heading to the car without saying a word. This suited her just fine. If Rosalie wasn’t talking, it meant that she wasn’t shooting barbs at her. Silence was a small price to pay.

“So, will you be dropping the truck off tonight or do I need to come get it later?” It felt strange to speak, but Bella couldn’t hold in her excitement as she buckled in. 

“What do you mean?” Rosalie quirked an eyebrow as she steered the car onto the road. 

“My truck. It’s been a week so it’s done, right?” Bella’s brow furrowed at Rosalie’s response. Surely the immortal was just as excited as she was to not have to play chauffeur anymore.

“It’s not finished yet.” Rosalie responded after a brief pause. “It will probably be a few more weeks until it’s completed to my satisfaction, but that’s a generous estimate.”

“What?!” Bella practically shrieked. “You said a week!”

“No,  _ you  _ said a week. Things like this take time. I’m a vampire, not a miracle worker. Given the condition of your truck, I’m surprised that it hadn’t broken down already.”

“So, what’s the hold up then? Because I know you don’t sleep. Why can’t you just use your vampire speed and strength or something? Why weeks?” All the previous wind in her sails had vanished and she visibly deflated.

“This might come as a surprise to you, but I do have other commitments that require my time. Despite what my siblings seem to believe, the world doesn’t actually revolve around you. And if I were to use my vampire strength, as you so eloquently put it, I’d be returning your truck as a tin can rather than a functional vehicle. Rebuilds take time and precision; the process can’t be rushed.”

Bella glared over at the driver. Rosalie’s expression was once again completely unreadable and she fought the urge to scream out in frustration. Rather than say something she might regret later, she opted to bite her tongue and remain silent. She folded her arms across her chest, fuming in her seat. She was acting like a petulant child but she didn’t care. 

“But to answer your other question; I’m trying to rebuild it with original parts, some of which are very difficult to come by. I’ve had to reach out to all my networks and I still haven’t found everything I need. Things were built to last back then and they don’t make parts like they used to.”

“Why?”

“Again with the inane questions and guessing games. I’m not the mind reader and even if I could, I certainly wouldn’t waste my time reading yours.”

“Why are you limiting yourself to original parts? Isn’t an engine just an engine?”

“An engine is  _ never _ just an engine.” Bella could feel Rosalie rolling her deep amber eyes. “Call me old-fashioned, but I think it’s better to use NOS whenever possible. If that’s not available then NORS should suffice. I’ll only use OEM as a last resort.”

Bella blinked. She didn’t have the slightest clue as to what Rosalie had said. It could have been made up gibberish and she’d be none the wiser. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak car. What does that even mean?”

“New old stock, new old replacement stock, and original equipment manufacturer. I suppose I  _ could _ upgrade the system with modern parts, but where’s the challenge in that? I think there’s something to be said about being able to rebuild a car the way it was intended. It makes the end result more meaningful and authentic.”

Bella raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to do with this new information. While she appreciated the work and thoughtfulness, she didn’t understand why Rosalie was putting in so much effort. She was still suspicious of the blonde’s motives and this just added to the list of reasons not to trust Rosalie. 

Feeling bold due to a dangerous combination of a lack of patience and missing sense of self preservation, she decided to poke the proverbial bear. 

“Why are you doing all this, Rosalie? The truck, the rides? What are you playing at? Last year you made it very clear that you pretty much hate me, so I really don’t understand why you’re doing all of this for me.”

“You make it sound as if it is a crime to do something nice for someone else.”

“Well, I’m sorry if I’m suspicious of your intentions. I don’t buy that this is part of the whole ‘I’m here to keep an eye on you’ thing because I know you’ve got great vision. As creepy as it sounds, you can watch me from afar and not have to interact with me at all.”

”Fine. I’m only doing this because Alice had a vision involving your truck. She didn’t give me details but she said it was important that I fix it.”

For some reason the words hurt more than she was expecting. She wasn’t sure which stung more: Rosalie’s brutal honesty or the fact that Alice still cared enough to send her sister to help but couldn’t be bothered to pick up the phone when she had called. 

Her throat constricted and tears built in the corners of her eyes. She stared at Rosalie for a few beats, trying to collect herself so she could speak without betraying her emotions. She refused to show any sign of weakness. 

“You’re a real piece of work, did you know that?” Bella snapped suddenly. 

“ _ Excuse me?” _ Rosalie’s tone was dangerous but Bella couldn’t stop the words from spilling out. 

“God, I can’t believe that I actually wanted to be a part of your family! I’d have been stuck with you for eternity!”

“Now you’re just being mean.”

“Oh no, did I hurt your feelings? Newsflash, you’ve literally been nothing but mean to me since we met! I think I get a pass just this once.” Bella’s voice was cracking, the pitch and volume had escalated without her realizing it. “How do I know you’re not trying to get close to me, to get me to let down my guard so you can drop me like a useless sack of rocks like the rest of your family? I know you think I’m just some pathetic human trying to fit in with vampires but I learned my lesson, alright? Up until you came back I thought I would never see a vampire again! It was supposed to be like you all never existed and I made my peace with it.”

Rosalie didn’t respond, she just sat there in stunned silence as the brunette continued to yell at her.

“I know I don’t belong in your world. I know I’m not good enough for you. But, fuck, I’m still a person! I’m not a fucking toy or some pity project to cure you of your ennui! I’m not going through all that again, Rosalie. So if you have any intention of repeating the past, just do me a favor and kindly leave me the fuck alone. I deserve better.” 

She was lightheaded, she’d barely paused to take a breath during her tirade. A sense of calm flooded her body and she relaxed into her seat, chest still heaving. As the adrenaline wore off, her euphoria gave way to guilt for her misplaced anger. 

“I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

“You’re right; I didn’t deserve that. I hope you got that out of your system because that is the last time you ever speak to me in that manner.” Rosalie eased the car back onto the main road and continued toward the school.  _ When had she pulled them over?  _

“Regarding the points you brought up, I won’t apologize for my previous behavior. I might not have been kind to you, but I never deceived you and if you hadn’t noticed, I actually never abandoned you. I know they hurt you, and you have every right to be mad at them. Don’t take it out on me.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry…” Bella ducked her head sheepishly. 

“I accept your apology. I hope you feel better after that. I know that it can be detrimental to one’s psyche to carry that much resentment around. Don’t look at me like a hopeful puppy. Just because I let you treat me as a verbal punching bag does not mean we are friends now. I still don’t like you, and I’m certainly not going to share my life story with you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Bella laughed softly, feeling better than she had in a long time. It felt good to finally get all that off her chest, and it’s not like she had anyone else to talk to about it. She didn’t dwell on the matter, as Rosalie’s comment piqued her curiosity. It sounded like it was coming from personal experience and, despite her previous reservations, she couldn’t help but wonder about it. 

“So, what happened to timid-as-a-mouse-Bella?”

“She lost her rose-colored glasses and grew up.”

“Good. She was boring.”  _ Was Rosalie actually giving her a semi-compliment?  _ “And she lacked any sense of autonomy and self-preservation, though the latter point can still be argued. Let’s not forget she was annoyingly meek and whiny…”

“Okay, I got it. I was young and dumb! You don’t have to rub it in, okay?”

Rosalie looked over and shot her a smirk, and not her condescending one for a change. “This is definitely an improvement.”

“I… err..” Bella didn’t know how to handle that comment. “Thanks, Rosalie.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m dead serious.”

“Of course not, I wouldn’t want to tarnish your reputation for being the resident ice queen. Heaven forbid people actually realize you’re capable of being nice.” 

“Laying it on a little thick, aren’t we?”

Bella chuckled at Rosalie’s eye roll but she didn’t miss the small smile playing at the corner of the vampire’s mouth. Despite what the blonde had said, she had a sneaking suspicion that somewhere deep down, Rosalie actually cared. 

The rest of the ride was spent in companionable silence. Despite the blow up earlier, all previous tension had dissipated and it was almost pleasant. 

“I’ll pick you up Monday.” Rosalie spoke as she pulled into her parking spot. 

“Yeah, about that… would you take me to see the truck some time? I’m kind of curious and would like to see what you’re doing.”

Rosalie met her hopeful glance over the top of the car, golden eyes betraying no emotion as they studied her. After a long pause, the vampire replied.

“I’ll see you here after school then.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case I forget to mention it in the upcoming chapters... this is the car I envision for Rosalie: 1958 BMW 507

“Okay, dish.” 

“Come on, Jess. We’ll be late and I’m hungry.” Bella groaned as she tried to brush past the shorter girl that had cornered her on the way to lunch. 

“Seriously, Bella? First Rosalie comes back, which is like, really weird. Now she’s giving you rides each morning, which is like, really, really weird. Don’t think I didn’t notice you trying to sneak in.” Jessica moved and fell into step as they walked toward the cafeteria. 

Bella didn’t try to defend herself; what was there to defend? Everything Jessica had said was objectively true and she hadn’t done anything wrong. She also knew that if she got defensive, the brunette would read it as an admission of guilt and would jump on it immediately. The girl was like a bloodhound when it came to sniffing out gossip - real or imagined - and she didn’t want to open that can of worms.

Unfortunately, Jessica didn’t need further prompting or encouragement, and continued her speculation.

“I mean, I know you were all heartbroken and stuff but rebounding isn’t the answer. Especially not with the sister! I mean, clearly they had no problem keeping it in the family, but come on! Major red flags.”

_‘Okay, that line of thinking needs to end right now.’_

“Whoa, whoa! It’s nothing like that! She’s just…” Bella paused as she pulled the lunchroom door open. What could she say? While she and Rosalie had achieved a tenuous understanding that morning, they were far from friends. She was still shocked that Rosalie hadn’t murdered her for yelling at her like she had. In fact, she had actually sort of encouraged her to speak her mind. “She’s just helping me out. It’s nothing like that.”

Out of the corner of her eye she could see their topic of discussion sitting at her table. Rosalie gave no indication she was listening, but Bella knew she could hear every word.

“I mean, I didn’t even know you liked girls! Like, it’s totally cool if you’re like, gay or bi or whatever. I’m not judging that but it’s more _who_. Besides, isn’t she with Emmett? Well, maybe not if she’s here and he’s not. But honestly, of all the people you could chase, you went for the sister?” Jess continued to press as they made their way through the crowd toward the lunchline.

“Oh my God! Really, Jess? Where do you even come up with this stuff?” 

“I’ve got eyes and you’re not as subtle as you think. It’s okay, though. I don’t think anyone else noticed.”

“I don’t know if I like girls or not. I don’t _dislike_ them but that doesn’t mean I _like_ them. Right?” Bella defended weakly. Judging by the burn in her cheeks, she knew that her face was bright red and she was powerless to stop it. 

She had never really considered that aspect of her sexuality, but now that it was being pointed out so bluntly, it gave her pause. Up until a couple months ago she thought she was going to live eternally ever after with her vampire boyfriend and was perfectly content with the idea. She couldn’t deny that she had noticed certain… attributes about Rosalie since the blonde’s return, but as Jess pointed out, she was her ex’s sister. 

Barring that detail, was she actually opposed to the idea of being with a woman? She’d have to think more on the matter when she had some time to herself. Her morning had been an emotional roller coaster and she wanted to have a clear head when she thought this through. 

“As far as Rosalie is concerned, there’s nothing going on, Jess. She’s just a… friend.”

“Uh huh… OK sure.” Jessica’s mocking tone told her that her argument wasn’t convincing anyone. “I’m just saying it’s a little suspect. Hale doesn’t even acknowledge anyone else exists. Now she’s suddenly spending all this time with you. Seems pretty out of the ordinary if you ask me.”

“I would hardly count 10 minutes a day as ‘all this time.’”

“Whatever, you know what I mean. What is it with you being a magnet for untouchable hotties? It’s weird. I mean, first the Hair and now the Ice Queen? And you’re… well, how do I put this nicely… you. No offense.” She added quickly, not looking the least bit remorseful.

“Gee, thanks.” Bella grumbled sardonically as she rolled her eyes and continued through the cafeteria. So her friend still had some growing up to do, after all. 

“I mean, I guess I don’t blame you if you did want to date her. She’s really beautiful and all, but she’s like, really mean. Not to mention way out of your league.”

“Wow, your vote of confidence is so inspiring.”

“What? I’m just saying…”

“Can we please drop it? I’m not dating Rosalie, nor do I want to. End of story.” Was it her imagination or did Rosalie just flinch? _‘Must be the fluorescents.’_

Jessica took a step back and stared for a moment with a slightly scrunched expression as she tried to read Bella’s face. Apparently convinced, she changed tactics. 

“Okay fine, I’ll let it go for now, but I’ve got my eye on you, Swan.” She grabbed an orange tray and turned back to face her, her bubbly smile back in place. “Hey, if you’re looking to get back out on the dating scene, I could help wingwoman for you. At least I can help get Mike off your back. I think the only person who doesn’t know you’re not interested in dating Mike is Mike himself.”

“Sure, whatever, Jess.” Bella sighed, knowing this was likely not the last time she would have this conversation. She fell into line behind her friend without another word, pointedly ignoring the golden eyes following her movements. 

“Just make yourself comfortable. I’m going to change.” Rosalie called over her shoulder as she ascended the stairs, leaving Bella alone to her own devices. 

Bella stood in the entryway - not willing to go in further - and looked around the massive house. She had anticipated having a bad reaction to being back here, but she was handling everything pretty well in her opinion. While it dredged up memories she preferred to stay buried, being here also offered her a bit of peace; a sense of closure she hadn’t had before. 

It felt like it had been years rather than weeks since she had been here. It looked almost exactly the same - with a few notable changes, namely the missing grand piano - but everything felt different. It was hollow, a mere shell of its former self. 

She scoffed under her breath as she thought about how she had been after ‘the fallout.’ She actually empathized with the house, strange as that sounded. She wasn’t the only one the Cullens left in the dust. At least she could rebuild herself. The mansion was stuck as it was, completely dependent on others to bring it back to life.

It was eerily quiet without the pitter-patter of ballerina-like vampiric feet darting around, Emmett’s booming laughter, or the clanging of pots and pans as Esme bustled around the kitchen. Without Alice’s array of aromatic candles and flower arrangements, the air smelled stale, slightly dusty. The lighting seemed to have changed, too. The art hanging on the walls wasn’t quite as vibrant and the pristine white walls had taken on a grey hue. 

For being ice cold to the touch, it was amazing how much warmth vampires could bring to a space. 

To distract herself, she grabbed her phone and messaged Charlie to let him know where she was in case he got home early, and that he was on his own for dinner. She received a reply to have fun, say hi to Rosalie, and not to worry about him; he’d just order a pizza and watch the game. 

“Are you ready or would you prefer to just stand around all afternoon?”

Bella’s jaw dropped as she looked in Rosalie’s direction. The blonde was sporting a black muscle shirt that accentuated her surprisingly toned arms; the classic Rolling Stones logo on the chest was sticking its tongue out at her. Her fitted designer jeans had been swapped out for coveralls; one strap set over her shoulder while the other dangled loosely so the denim bib flapped as she moved. Her dangerously tall heels were replaced with black Converse sneakers. She was mid-pulling her hair up into a messy bun when she came to a stop a few feet from Bella. 

Bella just stood there like a gaping fish, her mouth working through words that refused to form. She knew Rosalie was beautiful - gorgeous, even - but dressed like this she was… _hot_. 

‘ _So, maybe add another point to the ‘not as straight as I thought I was’ column.’_

“You’re staring.”

“S-sorry…I just…” Bella could have slapped herself for being a blubbering idiot. She quickly cleared her throat and tried to act casual, though her face was likely bright as a tomato. Mercifully, Rosalie didn’t comment on this. “I’ve just never seen you look so casual before.”

“Well, I don’t want to get grease on my clothes . If you cared about the state of your own wardrobe, I’m sure you would understand.”

Bella just rolled her eyes. “Do you really have to be such an ass all the time? It’s not like it would actually kill you to be nice.”

Rosalie just shrugged as she leaned against the banister, idly picking at an invisible - at least by human standards - speck of dirt under her nail. 

Bella was surprised to note that without the heels, the blonde stood only a few inches taller than her. While Rosalie still maintained her typical commanding presence, it made her slightly more approachable. But not by much. 

“Oh, by the way, thanks for nothing at lunch.” 

“Why, whatever do you mean?” 

“I know you heard Jessica. You didn’t do anything, just left me out to dry.” Bella huffed, not falling for Rosalie’s faux-innocent act.

“You seemed to handle it just fine. Besides, I couldn’t just appear and seamlessly insert myself into the conversation that was happening across a crowded room. Even Gossip Barbie would have noticed that was strange.”

“Whatever, let’s just go.” Bella refused to concede the point, even though she knew Rosalie was right. She also noted that Rosalie just confirmed that she had been listening in on the conversation. It struck her as odd that the blonde hadn’t called her out on the fact that she had told Jess that they were friends, despite her near vehement objections to the word when they were arguing in the car.

She froze for a moment, her stomach dropping when she realized that she was more concerned about Rosalie thoughts on them being friends than Rosalie hearing that she may be bi and that Jessica thought they were dating. _Oh god._

Instead of commenting further and possibly disrupting the shaky armistice they had achieved, she turned on her heel and stalked off in the direction of the garage. 

She had only been in the Cullen’s garage once and given the fact that she was being hunted by a psychopath Tracker, she hadn’t exactly stopped to look around. 

It looked… exceptionally ordinary.

The cars were all parked in their bays under cloth covers. At least this way she didn’t have to see _his_ car. But there was one vehicle missing.

“So… where’s my truck then?”

Rosalie’s mouth pulled into a devilish smile and her eyes brightened with barely restrained enthusiasm. It was jarring to see Rosalie so emotive about anything. Even around her siblings, the blonde remained cool and disconnected. “You didn’t think I actually worked here, did you?”

“Well, where else would you work? It’s a garage, right?”

Rosalie didn’t respond, instead gesturing with her chin for Bella to follow her. She led the way to the far end of the garage where a large ATV was parked. 

“Normally I would run, but I don’t feel like carrying you.” She tossed a helmet to Bella, who caught it with only minor fumbling, and threw open the garage door. 

“You’ve got to be joking.” Bella scoffed as she looked at the vampire now sitting astride the vehicle. Even as a passenger, riding on a four-wheeler seemed like a very bad idea. “Can’t we just, I dunno, walk?”

“Well, if we were to walk it would take so long we wouldn’t have time to get anything done. That, and you’d probably find a rock or particularly dense patch of air to trip over. I might not like you, but believe it or not, I don’t actually want you to injure yourself.” 

_‘Ok, fair point made.’_ She hated how well Rosalie seemed to see right through her.

“Fine, but if I fall off, I’m blaming you.”

“If you fall off, it’s because you weren’t holding on tight enough and you have no one to blame but yourself. Now get on, we’re wasting time.”

Bella rolled her eyes but hopped onto the back. At this range, she could smell Rosalie’s scent, a refreshing blend of cinnamon apple, crisp leaves, and fresh rain. _‘She smells like fall,’_ her brain unhelpfully supplied. She happened to love autumn. 

Not wanting to dwell on the fact that she wanted to swim in Rosalie’s scent (because that would be weird and creepy), she looked around for a handle or belt of some sort to hold onto, silently wondering where she would put her arms. 

“My waist, Bella.” Rosalie prompted as she fiddled with the keys. The engine roared as the vehicle came to life before calming to a quiet idle.

“Oh, erm… right.” Bella stammered before she hesitantly slipped her arms around the slender waist before her. She was beyond grateful that Rosalie was in front, as her cheeks were probably bright red, but there was nothing she could do about her pounding heart. Thankfully the vampire didn’t comment, though Bella knew she could definitely hear the difference. 

She had never been in such close proximity to Rosalie before, certainly never close enough to _touch_ her like this. She was surprised to find that their bodies fit well together, and was even more surprised to note that she kind of enjoyed it. The simple contact was incredibly comforting. Rosalie was simultaneously hard and soft, warm and cold, but it was more than that. She felt _safe_ in Rosalie’s presence, even more so than the times she had embraced Alice or Esme. Certainly more than _him,_ though that could have been due to the fact that she was very aware that she was still on the menu, despite his frequent reassurances that he was in control of his blood lust. She had thought it thrilling at the time, the ever present danger, but in retrospect, it was just plain stupid. 

It was only after the Cullens left that she realized just how quickly his eyes went from gold to black. Despite the fact that he hunted every night, it was painfully obvious that he still struggled with his self control. Just touching her or, heaven forbid, kissing her, seemed to cause him pain. Even Jasper, who was supposedly the ‘youngest vegetarian’ had better control of his thirst around her. The attack at the party was just a fluke, she knew it wouldn’t have been an issue if not for the exposed blood. 

That realization about Rosalie shook her to the core. Why was it that the one Cullen that flat out refused to befriend her felt so good to be around? How was it that in just a week the icy vampire started to worm her way into her heart? She begrudgingly added it to her steadily growing list of things to think through. 

Thankfully, Rosalie’s actions pulled her out of her thoughts and back to the present before she could spiral too far. 

With a twist of the handlebar, the quad shot forward into the darkening evening. 

Rosalie steered the four-wheeler along a path, weaving between the trees while Bella did her best impersonation of a koala clinging on for dear life. Her desire not to suffer a humiliating death by falling off and hitting a tree or rock (which was not a far fetched scenario, as Rosalie graciously pointed out earlier) far outweighed her embarrassment. She definitely wasn’t holding on so tightly because she enjoyed the way their bodies pressed together. No, definitely not. 

About a mile from the mansion was a building that easily matched the main house in size, though completely different design and aesthetic. The metal exterior, flood lights, and four rolling bay doors gave the building a distinctly industrial feel. 

Rosalie pulled up to the far side of the building and turned off the ATV. Without waiting for Bella, she hopped off and disappeared through a side door.

Bella managed to get off of the four-wheeler with only minor stumbling; setting her helmet on the seat for later. Though she trusted the vampire’s driving, she was grateful to be on solid ground again. At least driving wasn’t as disorienting as being carried at vampire speed.

She was attempting to finger-comb out her helmet hair when the closest bay door opened, revealing the building’s huge interior. 

“I don’t usually allow anyone else here.” Rosalie came into view, gesturing for Bella to follow her. 

“Not even Emmett?”

“Especially not Emmett. He breaks everything he touches in here.”

 _‘Classic Emmett’_ Bella laughed to herself. The man was one part teddy bear, one part bull-in-a-china-shop, but 100% Emmett.

“Wow, lucky me…”

The rest of her words died in her throat as she stepped inside and took in her new surroundings. She had never seen anything quite like this before. She was openly gawking, turning slowly in place to look at everything.

It was huge, well lit by fluorescents along the walls and ceiling. If not for the two rows of hydraulic lifts and cars in various states of repair, she would have thought it could have doubled as an airplane hangar. While capable of holding up to 8 vehicles, there were a few open spots.

A workbench spanned the entire back wall with differently colored rolling tool chests stored underneath. The surface of the workbench was littered with equipment the likes of which Bella had never seen before. Equipment manuals, blueprints, and sketches were piled in orderly stacks. It was like a mad scientist’s lab but for cars. Bella was afraid to touch anything, fearing she would disrupt the organized chaos. 

Rosalie had her hawk-like gaze locked on the brunette as she moved through her private sanctuary. Bella, on the other hand, was too preoccupied to notice the appraising stare.

“Why do you have so many tools? And what’s with the colors?”

“Each chest corresponds to a different manufacturer. The two black ones on the end are universal tools, but the rest are filled with specialty items. Each case has its own organizational structure but I won’t bore you with that.”

“This is… wow. This is really something.”

“Thank you. It’s taken me a lifetime to acquire such a collection, so I’m glad it is appreciated.” Rosalie boasted, and rightfully so. The space was every mechanic’s dream. Bella was amazed that the blonde actually allowed her to be here when apparently no one else in the family was permitted access.

“What are you working on? Aside from my truck, of course.” 

“This is a ‘69 Stingray. It’s my current passion project.” Rosalie ran her hand reverently over the sleek silver body stationed closest to her. “As much as I would love to have this garage full of classics, I only allow myself one at a time. The rest are more practical.”

Bella nodded and scanned over the other cars. She was surprised to see that they were indeed ‘practical’ by anyone’s standards. She listed them off the ones she recognized.

“A Kia Optima, Honda Odyssey, and Toyota Corolla?”

“Camry, but an easy mistake.”

“This isn’t what I was expecting.”

Rosalie just shrugged as she poked at the undercarriage of a Dodge Ram pick up that was suspended high on its lift. “I buy repoed or condemned cars and repair them.”

Bella raised an eyebrow “Really? Why?”

“It passes the time.”

“What do you do with them when you’re done?”

“I donate them to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project, among others. There’s a serious need for functional cars and it’s something I can do to improve someone else’s plight.”

Bella was absolutely floored. She had no idea that Rosalie was so philanthropic. She thought that the blonde cared only for fashion or… fashion. Actually she had no idea what interests or hobbies she had. She felt a pang of guilt for judging Rosalie without getting to know her first. In her defense, the vampire hadn’t exactly made it easy. 

“Don’t look so surprised, I might actually get offended.”

“Sorry! I just wasn’t expecting that.”

“I’m not as evil as you think I am, Bella. Come on, your truck is on the end. We’ve got work to do.”

Bella followed through the large workspace to the end where her truck was sitting. The hood was open and it looked like part of the engine had been removed, but she couldn’t be sure. It was a wrench in her gut to see her baby sitting out of commission, but it was for the best.

Rosalie turned on a radio - blasting out rock classics - and got to work without another word; leaving Bella to fend for herself. 

“So, I’m glad to see she’s still in one piece. I was kind of worried that you might have just trashed her at the first chance you got.” Bella joked after an hour or so of sitting on the counter watching the vampire.

Rosalie stood up and cocked her head slightly, “I assure you nothing of that sort. I would never just ‘trash’ a car. Especially one with so much potential.”

“You called it a hunk of scrap metal.”

“Because it was! It was basically held together with chewing gum and duct tape. It will be so much better once I’ve restored it to its original glory.”

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

“Yes, it was. But this brings up an important point I wish to discuss with you. I would like to do a full rebuild.”

“What does that mean? How is that different from what you were going to do originally?”

“I’d take it completely apart and rebuild it from scratch, as opposed to just replacing a few components. It’s the only way I can fully assess the health of the truck. I think a lot of this can be salvaged but I won’t know until I have everything laid out.”

Bella bit her lip. This sounded much more intensive than what she had originally agreed to. On the one hand, she really loved the truck and it deserved TLC but on the other hand, it would probably take a lot longer for Rosalie to finish. Not to mention that the bill would grow exponentially.

As if reading her mind - which she knew Rosalie couldn’t - the vampire was quick to reassure her. “Don’t worry about the money. I told your father that I would let him reimburse me for the parts, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. It can be our secret.”

“Okay, now I definitely know you’re up to something. People aren’t this nice to me, and definitely not you.” 

“Believe what you will, Bella. I gave you my reasons.” Rosalie wiped off her hands on a rag and turned to face the brunette, offering her pale hand. “So, what do you say, do we have a deal?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna be some canon divergence. It’s pretty obvious when it happens.
> 
> Also, montage time!

“Bells! Are you up yet, kiddo?!”

Bella groaned as Charlie’s call roused her from a deep sleep. She instinctively curled herself up tighter in her warm comforter in a futile effort to hide from the weak light that was streaming through the thin curtains. 

She had stayed out with Rosalie much later than she had anticipated the night before and she was now paying the price. Next time - for she was certain there would be - she would have to set an alarm, or at least a reminder to eat dinner. She had been completely engrossed in watching the blonde work that she hadn’t realized how many hours slipped by until it was approaching midnight. 

Thankfully, Rosalie took pity on her and took her through a drive-thru on the way back into town. The food was both a blessing and a curse, as the vampire wasted no time making her opinions known about Bella’s choice in fast food, complaining the entire drive back to the Swan residence. 

_“That is absolutely revolting! You have the gift of functioning taste buds and you voluntarily eat that… whatever that is.” Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she eyed the burger. “I hesitate to classify it as food. Even if I could eat, I think I would rather starve than eat a meal like that. How can you bear to put that in your stomach? Are you actually trying to kill yourself faster? There’s enough grease to clog all of your major arteries!_

_“To top it off, I can’t believe I’m letting you eat in my car. You’re lucky Emmett likes you so much. He would tear my arm off if he found out that I made you go hungry.”_

_Bella stuck her tongue out dramatically and ate another handful of French fries._

_“Aaaah! What are you doing, you insufferably clumsy human?! You dropped a fry! It was bad enough that it was going to smell like a number one combo, but now I’ll have to vacuum for hours to get every speck of food out of here, too!”_

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m up,” she called back, her voice still raspy and deep with sleep. Why was Charlie waking her up so early on a Saturday? Usually the man was out the door before dawn, chasing cutthroat trout up and down the river until the sun went down. 

“Billy just called and invited us down to LaPush for a Halloween bonfire tonight. He and Jake are on their way over.”

“Seriously? It’s so early…” Bella grumbled to herself. Her hand snaked out from under her blanket, reaching blindly for her phone on the nightstand. Prize in hand, she cracked an eye just enough to look at the screen. 

_‘12:45pm. Oh, maybe not as early as I thought.’_

“Alright, just let me shower and I’ll be down.” She shouted to her dad as she reluctantly left the warmth of her blanket cocoon. She grabbed her toiletries and fresh clothes and hurried to the bathroom to get ready. 

She was actually looking forward to seeing Jake again, though her excitement was accompanied by a sharp pang of guilt. Despite her promises, she hadn’t made it down to the reservation to see her childhood friend since her return to Forks. The few times she had seen him were when he and his father came up to watch the game with Charlie and when they dropped off her truck, but it had been months. 

An hour later she was washed and ready to take on the day. One cursory glance out the window told her that she had better bundle up, so she swung by her room to grab her hoodie before heading downstairs. But it wasn’t raining, so that was a win in her book.

“Holy shit, Jake!” Bella froze as she entered the living room to greet their guests. She barely recognized the boy. 

“Hey there, Bells!” He greeted her with the same bright smile and warm eyes that she remembered. Before she could react to the unexpected bass of his voice, he swept her up in a bear hug, swinging her up into the air before setting her back on her feet. 

She could hear Billy and Charlie laughing in the background but chose to ignore them. She had a sneaky suspicion their dads thought they would get together but she only saw - and would only see - the boy as the annoying little brother she never had. The annoying gigantic little brother, her brain quickly edited. 

“Let me down, you big lug!” Bella squealed, wriggling against his vice-like grip. “Seriously, who are you and what did you do with my friend? You’re like, the monster that ate him! Is he still in there?” She poked him playfully in the stomach, wincing slightly as her finger bent back upon impact. The only thing she had felt that was harder than Jake’s stomach muscles was vampire skin. But unlike the Cullens, Jake felt warm, even through his shirt. _Weird_. 

She shook her head and took a step back to appraise her friend.

“You know, anabolic steroids are really bad for you. Since when have you been a gym rat? If you work out anymore, you’ll have to get a license for those guns. Jesus, you’re like, 16 going on 20. That’s not natural.”

“Well, I’m just filling out, Bella. The change wouldn’t be so drastic if you came down more often.” Jacob not-so-subtly flexed, preening at her comment, even if it was meant as a joke.

“Ok, fine… But what about the height? You’re seriously over 6 feet tall! Is it something in the water there? Maybe I’ll come by if it gives me a few more inches.”

“Pushing 6'7'' actually. Don’t be jealous, Short Stack.” He patted her head with a hand the size of a dinner plate, which she promptly swatted away. 

With a grin she turned to greet the Black patriarch. “Hey, Billy. How’ve you been?”

“Oh, I’m still dancin.” Billy chortled, rocking his wheelchair side to side a few times. “Glad you and the old man are coming down. Jake’s been marking down the days!”

“Ha, ha, we’re all laughing here.” Jake grumbled, folding his arms across his broad chest. Bella actually wondered what would happen if he and Emmett went toe to toe, if Emmett were human again. Poor Jake wouldn’t stand a chance against a vampire, though.

“Well, we’re all here, what do you say we get this show on the road?” Charlie stepped in, grabbing his coat off the hanger. 

Eager to avoid further heckling from Jake, Bella readily agreed and followed her dad out, sliding into the police cruiser to follow the Black’s beat up pick up truck to the reservation. 

“So, where’s the truck? I noticed it wasn’t in your driveway.” Jacob asked between massive bites of hotdog. He and Bella were sitting together by a small driftwood campfire they’d built on the beach. The older generation of Quileutes (and Charlie) was grouped up, laughing and drinking beers by the main fire up the hill near Jake’s house. 

“Oh, uh… a friend is working on it. There was an issue with the battery or something.” Bella blushed slightly. There was that word again. _Friend_. 

Even after just a night with Rosalie, it felt like a little bit of the ice wall was starting to thaw between them. If nothing else, it was refreshing to see the vampire completely at ease, lost in her own world as she pulled bits of truck out from under the hood with glee. It was a rare glimpse behind the mask; a brief taste that left her craving more. 

As hesitant as she was to let her own guard down again, she could see herself getting along well with the blonde vampire. Despite her prickly nature, Rosalie had many qualities that she admired, but it would be a long road and she wasn’t sure Rosalie would even want to meet her halfway. Either way she was stuck with the blonde a little longer, at least until the truck was done, so she was determined to make the most of the situation. 

“ _What?_ Something was wrong with the truck and you didn’t call me?” Jake sounded hurt by the news, his shoulders slumping. She had to remind herself that he was still a kid, even though he didn’t look like one.

“Sorry, Jake, I didn’t really have a choice. She was very insistent.”

“She? You know a girl mechanic?”

“Come on, don’t be such a guy. She’s really experienced.” Never in a million years would Bella have thought she would be defending Rosalie Hale, yet here she was. 

“Oh! I didn’t mean it like that! Girls can be mechs, too!” Jake quickly clarified when he realized his mistake. “It’s just… I wasn’t expecting it and, uh, that’s really hot.”

“You’d better stop while you’re ahead, Jake. Keep digging and you won’t be able to get yourself out of the hole you’re making.” Bella laughed and took a bite of her hotdog, biting back a pleased groan. There was something magical about hotdogs roasted over a campfire. 

“Yo, Jake!”

Bella’s head swiveled in the direction of the new voice and saw a small group of teenagers approaching. 

“Hey guys!” Jacob hopped to his feet and greeted his friends with a shoulder check and thump on the back. _Guys were so weird._ “This is Bella. Bella, this is Quil, Embry, and Seth. We go to school together.” The boys all waved at her when they were acknowledged. 

“I’m Quil Ateara.” The boy with curly black hair tilted his chin and tried his best at sounding suave. Bella just laughed to herself and waved her greeting. 

It was strange to see Jake standing next to the other boys. Physically, they were night and day. Embry looked like he was going through a similar growth spurt, but he wasn’t as tall or muscular as Jake. Quil and Seth on the other hand looked young - boyish even - in comparison.

“Help yourself; we’ve got more packs of dogs up at the house.” Jake waved to the plate of food, and the three newcomers descended in haste.

Hours later, the five of them were laughing and joking around. It was nice. Even though she had just met them, Bella felt instantly welcomed into Jake’s group of friends. There was a camaraderie that she hadn’t realized she had been missing. Even with Emmett, the most outgoing of the Cullens, things had always felt a little stiff (probably due to the issue of constantly fighting their vampire instincts), but with these guys it was lighthearted and carefree.

Jake and Quil were wrestling on the beach, attempting to grapple one another and throw the other off balance. Embry reluctantly slid a $5 into Bella’s hand when Quil’s back hit the sand and Jake pinned him under his bulk seconds later.

“Hey! Since it’s Halloween weekend, we should tell ghost stories!” Seth piped up when the older boys returned to the fire ring.

“Ooh, yeah! You go, Jake! You’re the best storyteller.” Quil and Embry quickly threw in their two cents.

Jake straightened up in his seat for dramatic effect, building the tension. He leaned forward, allowing the flames to dance across his face. “Legend has it, there are monsters that roam these woods. We call them the Cold Ones…”

It took every ounce of willpower for Bella to keep a straight face. Internally, her blood was running cold and her stomach clenched in a tight knot. She wasn’t really listening to the rest of Jake’s story, her head was swimming with worry. Did they really know about vampires? About the Cullens? 

She was pulled out of her haze by a loud squeal. Quil and Embry had Seth pinned down and were poking him shouting about the Cold Ones coming to get him. The rest of the group dissolved into raucous laughter, which gave her time to get control of her shallow breathing and pull herself back from the brink of her anxiety attack before anyone noticed. 

“C’mon, Clearwater, is the big bad wolf afraid of a little story?”

“Get off me, guys!” Seth wheezed as he sat up, dusting sand out of his spiky dark hair.

“Seriously, man, don’t be such a baby. It’s just a story to scare kids into eating their vegetables. You better watch out or the Cold Ones will get you!” Quil waved his arms and made threatening growling noises for a few seconds before laughing so hard his voice cracked.

Bella took a deep breath and released it slowly. At least the boys didn’t put any stock into the story about vampires. That was good. She had a sneaking suspicion that the same couldn’t be said for the elders. She remembered the subtle looks from Billy when Charlie told him who she had been dating last year, but the man never pushed the matter. _‘Shit, it all makes so much more sense now.’_

Her thoughts drifted. She had been hyper fixated on the fact that the tribe had legends about vampires that she missed the rest of the tale. Hopefully it wasn’t important. She felt bad for having tuned out most of Jake’s story, but she felt she had good reason to. She was about to ask for clarification when she heard Charlie calling for her. 

_‘Damn it. You have the worst timing, Charlie.’_

“Well, that’s my cue. It was nice to meet you all.” Bella stood, shaking her numb leg back to life.

“Yeah, you should come by again some time, Bella!” Embry grinned, the others rapidly nodding their heads in agreement.

“I will when my truck is back in action.” She promised with a heartfelt smile. Her cheeks burned slightly; the muscles protesting. Had it been so long since she genuinely smiled like this? “I’ll catch you guys later.”

“Embry, I bet you $5 that you can’t fit 15 marshmallows in your mouth at once!” 

“You’re on, Ateara!”

Bella just laughed to herself at the boys’ antics as she walked up the hill. At least it was a good distraction from the worry building in the pit of her stomach.

Six weeks had passed since Rosalie first took Bella to see the truck, though it felt like mere days. 

The pair found their way to Rosalie’s mech shed three, sometimes four nights a week - coincidentally the nights Bella wasn’t scheduled at Newton’s. She hadn’t even asked to come back. It was just a silent exchange and understanding, much like the unspoken rule that Rosalie was not to work on the truck without Bella present.

Charlie never questioned it. As long as she went to school and got good grades, her free time was her own. She was 18 after all; a legal adult. Truthfully, he was probably just happy that she had a friend and wasn’t moping around anymore. Apparently, his dislike for the Cullens was solely focused on one member of the family. 

It took Rosalie a full week to completely disassemble the truck down to the frame, including everything from the cab’s interior, which Bella hadn’t been expecting. The vampire insisted this was necessary so they could properly refurbish the sturdy exterior. 

_“Why bother fixing it only to leave it looking like a rust bucket?” Rosalie justified._

It was a wrench to see her baby completely gutted with its parts carefully dismantled and laid out on tarps. Everything had been disassembled down to its most basic state, down to the individual gears, nuts, and bolts when possible. 

Rosalie had been meticulous in this process. She even brought out a label maker and white tape to mark what went where. It reminded Bella of pictures she had seen of Julia Child’s kitchen, with the outlines of the pots and pans. 

Once the truck was completely disassembled, Rosalie began the task of identifying the parts that needed replacing. Unfortunately, the vast majority had been deemed unfit. 

The vampire had an impressive network of junk yards, dealers, and suppliers to comb for viable parts. Once a part was located, it became a matter of waiting for said part to arrive. 

The downside of doing a full rebuild was that everything hinged on having all of the parts at the right time. It was like a giant puzzle, except it had to be completed in a very specific order. Their progress could be halted for days, if not weeks, by a single missing gear.

The countless missing parts didn’t derail their hang out time, though. They simply worked on Rosalie’s other cars on the days that they didn’t have much to do on the truck.

At first Bella was content to just sit and observe, watching the other woman work for hours on end, while bobbing her head to the beat of various classic rock songs that Rosalie listened to while working. The blonde had every Rolling Stones, Journey, AC/DC, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, and Zeppelin CD, as well as a secret stash of Bon Jovi. Bella had been threatened with a very painful death if she ever mentioned the blonde’s love of ‘Living on a Prayer’ to anyone outside of the family.

The reminder of the missing Cullens stung but the pain didn’t linger, much to Bella’s surprise and relief. 

It was mesmerizing to watch Rosalie in her element. She handled each component as if it was the most precious object in the world. In the garage, the blonde fully let down her walls, leaving her concerns at the door upon entry. She looked so light and relaxed, completely in her zone. It was a side of the woman that very few people got to witness. 

Still, Bella didn’t want to push her luck. Even though she had been invited into Rosalie’s domain, she didn’t want to annoy the blonde by getting underfoot, so she was content with her passive role.

By the third week Bella couldn’t help herself. She would stand close to Rosalie, watching the nimble fingers at work. At first her efforts were met with a raised eyebrow and Rosalie would simply move away, but Bella was not to be discouraged or dissuaded. After a few more sessions of ‘chase Rosalie around the garage,’ the mechanic tolerated her presence and started giving her small tasks (probably to get her out of the way so she could work in peace). Still, it was progress and Bella was pleased to have a more active role, even though the projects were the ones that Rosalie had deemed inconsequential enough that it wouldn’t matter if she completely messed up or not. 

When she had expressed interest in learning more about the mechanics (and proved herself to actually be a competent individual), Rosalie’s entire demeanor changed. She stopped ignoring Bella’s presence and started verbalizing as she worked, pointing out different components and explaining how everything worked together. Bella soaked up the information like a sponge. She had never thought she was one for engineering, having always preferred the arts and literature, but there was something beautiful about how the different parts all worked together. It was just a different kind of art, she supposed. 

Overall, Rosalie was a surprisingly patient teacher as she explained her process; though she did slide in an occasional barb about Bella’s lack of mechanical know-how or weak human strength. She was still Rosalie Hale, after all. 

Bella figured the occasional snide remark was purely to maintain her reputation, but the more time she spent with Rosalie, the more she realized that Rosalie truly did not give a single care what others thought of her. The icy personna wasn’t a mask as Bella had initially thought, it was more that she controlled her emotions and had very low tolerance for stupidity, ignorance, and incompetence. Which, given the fact that she was stuck in a sea of hormonal teenagers, it made sense why she had such a short temper. High school was literally her worst nightmare; one she was forced to relive every few years. 

By the fifth week, Bella felt like a contributing member to the team. She focused on helping with the truck’s bodywork, buffing and repairing rust spots. It was slow going at ‘human speed,’ but the blonde had insisted it wasn’t about speed or strength. Rosalie’s encouragement warmed her more than she cared to admit. She didn’t necessarily need the approval, but the validation was nice. It was a far cry better than their early interactions. 

It surprised Bella how easily she fell into a routine with the blonde. After a few hours working on the cars, Rosalie would drive them back to the main house so Bella could make herself dinner. Rosalie made a point to turn her nose up at the smell of ‘human food’ every time. 

_“It’s because Esme would be devastated if I were a poor host, don’t read anything into it.” Rosalie snipped in response to her comment that the kitchen was fully stocked again._

They worked on their homework while Bella ate her meal. More accurately, Rosalie zipped through her work while Bella plodded along at a slow, steady pace. Rosalie’s intelligence never ceased to amaze her.

_‘It must be both a blessing and a curse to have a perfect memory,’_ Bella mused to herself one night as she watched Rosalie fly through her advanced calculus problems. 

On nights that she finished her homework early, Bella would play a game on one of Emmett’s various gaming systems or watch a movie. Unlike their earlier interactions (or lack thereof) when she first met the Cullen family, the vampire stayed close, usually curled up in her favorite seat while she read a book or a magazine. Though they rarely spoke during this time, it wasn't strained or awkward. Rosalie would take her home afterwards, again making the drive in companionable silence. 

By the beginning of December, Bella couldn’t deny the fact that she was friends with Rosalie Hale (not girlfriends, as Jessica insinuated at least once a week). The thought brought a smile to her face. Alice might have been her self-proclaimed best friend, but the friendship she had forged with Rosalie felt more meaningful.

Despite everything, a shadow of a doubt still lingered in the back of her mind: What if Rosalie decided to follow her family’s footsteps and leave her one day? Could she allow herself to fully trust a Cullen again?


	5. Chapter 5

Bella’s eyes fluttered open as she slowly regained consciousness. With a low yawn, she stretched her arms wide and arched her back off the bed, resulting in several satisfying pops along her spine. It was finally winter break and aside from a handful of shifts at Newton’s, she had absolutely nothing planned. And it was glorious. 

She took a few deep breaths and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. As much as she wanted to savor the moment, the lingering scent of coffee wafting up from the kitchen got her attention.  _ Caffeine. Perfect. _

She quickly rolled out of bed and slipped on her fuzzy slippers, rushing through an abridged version of her morning routine. She didn’t need to make herself look presentable today, anyway. Charlie wouldn’t even notice and no one else was around to care if her hair was sticking out at odd angles or that she was wearing pajamas with a sprinkles cupcake pattern.

The house was silent as she made her way down the creaky stairs, following the scent of coffee goodness. Her nose hadn’t betrayed her; there was a half-full pot sitting on the warmer.  _ Bingo. _ She grabbed her favorite mug and filled it to the brim, wrapping her fingers around the ceramic to sap off as much warmth as possible. 

After a few sips she saw the note on the table, stating that Charlie had gone to work early to deal with another animal sighting. This didn’t come as a surprise to her. Working at the local sporting goods store meant that she heard all sorts of rumors from hunters and fishers that came by to browse the shelves. Most of it was just exaggerated nonsense meant to boost their egos in her opinion, and she usually paid no mind to it. However, after hearing similar accounts for the past few weeks, she started to wonder if there was some truth to it, even though she still had her doubts. For some reason she could accept the existence of vampires hiding in plain sight, but a huge, mutant bear the size of an SUV was too much of a stretch of the imagination. 

She was munching down on a bowl of Wheaties when there was a knock at the door. Probably the postman dropping off a package. Renée had mentioned that she was going to send a Christmas present; though her mail was usually two weeks late, not a week early. Well, there’s a first time for everything.

“Hey, Joe, you’re early tod - ” Bella chirped as she opened the door, only to realize a split second too late that it was not Joe the mailman standing on her porch. “ _ Rosalie?! _ Wh-what are you doing here?” She stammered, her face burning hotter than the sun as she looked everywhere but at the vampire casually leaning against the wall. 

Unlike her, the blonde looked immaculate in her cream colored cashmere sweater, puffy, navy blue down vest, and dark wash jeans. Though she didn’t need it, she was even wearing a matching set of knitted accessories - a beanie hat, gloves, and scarf. Clearly she had erred on the side of caution, not wanting to draw attention by appearing underdressed for the weather.

“I realize I’m dropping by unannounced, but I had some exciting news that I wanted to share in person. May I come in?”

Bella’s mouth was too dry to respond but she managed to give a weak nod and stood aside, silently praying for the floor to open up and swallow her whole, embarrassing pajamas and all. Rosalie’s knee-high, brown leather boots clicked rhythmically on the wood porch as she swept past her and entered the Swan residence.

“I just received word from one of my suppliers down in Oregon that they are expecting a new shipment of trucks. We might be able to find that head gasket we’re missing; maybe even a better engine mount while we’re at it!” Rosalie’s eyes were brighter than Bella had ever seen them before. It was like Christmas came early for the vampire.

“That’s great…” Bella cringed hearing how squeaky her voice sounded. “I feel like there’s a but here.”

“Well, it’s at a U-pick scrapyard.” 

“A what?”

“Essentially, it’s a lot full of cars and we get to search for our own parts. The downside is that it’s first come, first served.”

“Okayyy, I still don’t understand why you need me.”

Rosalie’s smile faltered and her shoulders slumped slightly before she straightened herself back up and returned her face to a cool neutral. It made Bella wince knowing that she had just shat all over Rosalie’s parade. ”Well, I thought that maybe you would like to accompany me, since you’ve shown such an interest in your truck. Perhaps I was mistaken. You clearly have much more important matters to attend to. I wouldn’t want to interfere with your lounging about.” Rosalie gestured at Bella’s disheveled appearance with a critical eye. 

Bella’s temper flared for a brief moment at the jab - how was she to know Rosalie was going to come by? - but she swallowed her biting remark. She had been hanging out with the vampire long enough to know that whenever Rosalie felt vulnerable, she always went on the offensive.

“Sorry, no I’d love to come, I just wasn’t expecting this.” She quickly amended. “If you can give me an hour or so to pack and get ready. How long do you think we’ll be gone?”

And just like that, Rosalie was back to beaming. “Well, I was thinking a few days; definitely back before Christmas. There are a couple of other potential yards along the Columbia Gorge that we can hit up while we’re in the neighborhood. My thought is that we can stay in Portland so we can get to the scrapyard first thing in the morning tomorrow before the other vultures descend.”

“A couple of days? I would have to call Charlie…” She trailed off when she saw Rosalie averting her eyes. “You already called my dad, didn’t you? And Newton’s?”

“I, uh… I was excited and thought I’d be proactive! I realize now I might have overstepped.” Rosalie huffed - another knee-jerk response she had when she was in the wrong. Getting Rosalie to apologize was like pulling teeth and this was about as good as she was going to get.

“Nah, it’s fine. It beats what I had planned… which was nothing. I might even be able to find a gift for Charlie while we’re there.”

“Fantastic! If you like I can pack your bag while you shower. It would help cut down on the prep time.”

Bella immediately shook her head as the image of Rosalie handling her underwear flitted to the forefront of her mind. That was  _ not _ happening. “No, no… that’s okay.”

“Why not? You’ve let Alice pack your bag before.”  _ No one should look so cute tilting their head like that. _

_ ‘Yeah, but I don’t have a crush on Alice.’ _

Bella could no longer deny that her curious interest in Rosalie had evolved into a full blown crush. And it scared the hell out of her. Not because Rosalie was a woman or even that she was Edward’s sister (yes, she could finally say his name again without wanting to punch something), but because she was terrified of getting hurt again. 

Part of her wanted to throw all caution to the wind and believe that Rosalie would never do that to her, but she didn’t want to risk it. So she kept her feelings to herself; kept her walls strong. It was better this way. Besides, the vampire had given her no indication of liking her like  _ that _ . Hell, it had taken her this long just to like her as a  _ friend _ (though Rosalie still adamantly denied this label). 

Add on top the fact that she was with Emmett… Bella’s stomach churned with guilt. She hadn’t meant to fall for her ex-‘best friend number two’’s girlfriend (Alice took the title of best friend number one early on); it just… happened. How could she not? Rosalie was brilliant and beautiful and kind in her own way.

“I’ll just take a really fast shower. It won’t take much time at all, I promise. Just, make yourself comfortable and I’ll be right back.” Rosalie simply nodded and went to investigate the bookshelf. 

After the world’s fastest shower (she didn’t want to risk Rosalie getting bored and taking it upon herself to pack her travel bag), Bella was back downstairs with a week’s worth of clothes stuffed into her duffle bag. 

“I’m ready!” She announced as she grabbed her jacket off the hook. 

“Perfect, let’s go. I can get us to Portland by 3 if traffic is agreeable.”

“That’s in four hours.”

“Your point?”

“Nothing, it’s just usually this is a five hour drive.”

Rosalie just quirked an eyebrow and gave her a look of disbelief. “Are you quite finished? We’re burning daylight.”

In the end, Rosalie made the drive in just over four hours. She had swapped out her pride and joy - her cherry red 1958 BMW 507 - for Carlisle’s black Mercedes A220, reasoning that the sedan would be more comfortable for the human and less likely to cause a scene than her vintage roadster. 

“I’ve never been to Portland before.” Bella commented in passing as Rosalie steered them through the busy downtown area. 

As much as she wanted to look around a bit, Bella couldn’t fault Rosalie for her mission to get inside as quickly as possible. The weather was unpredictable and without Alice to give warning, being out in public could prove risky if the clouds were to suddenly break up. The last thing they needed was for her to start sparkling due to a wayward beam of sunlight.

Luckily the clouds were just as thick in Oregon as they were in Washington; hanging so low that they obscured the tops of the tallest skyscrapers. 

“It’s a nice city. You should come back to experience it more fully.” For some reason, Rosalie’s comment stung more than it reasonably should, as it implied she would not be accompanying her on any future visit. “It’s best in the summer when the roses are in bloom.” 

_ ‘Oh, right… stupid sunlight.’ _

Bella just hummed a noncommittal response; her eyes widened comically as they pulled into a ridiculously fancy hotel.

Two men in sharp black suits opened their doors before the car was even in park. “Welcome to the Nines.”

Rosalie left the keys in the ignition as she exited while one man, the valet Bella presumed, handed the blonde a ticket before driving the car into an underground parking lot. The other man followed behind them with their luggage. 

Rosalie swept through the foyer like she owned the place while Bella followed a few paces behind, her head on a swivel. She took her time to look around and appreciate the interior design while Rosalie arranged their room. The more she saw, the more out of place she felt. Upscale casual seemed to be the going dress code and her outfit was… lacking. She reflexively pulled her jacket tighter across her chest to hide her comfy flannel over shirt. 

For the first time in a long time, she wished that Alice had helped coordinate her wardrobe. 

Before she had time to dwell too much on her clothes, Rosalie reappeared at her side. The dutiful bellman gestured for them to follow him to the elevator. He swiped his keycard and pressed a button but from her position, Bella couldn’t see which floor they were heading to. 

The doors opened with a cheerful ding and Bella’s jaw practically fell back down to ground level. The elevator led straight into the central living space of the huge, open-plan suite. Everything was crisp and modern. The pale cream walls and neutral furniture cushions contrasted nicely with the dark wood accents and wooden furniture bases. She could see a full kitchen to the side and a set of double doors that she assumed led to the master bedroom. Floor to ceiling windows made up two of the walls of the main room, offering a breathtaking view of the city, though she was hesitant to get too close. 

She was in such a state of awe that she completely missed the man’s departure. 

The sound of the elevator doors closing snapped Bella out of her haze and she instantly whirled on her heel to find her travel companion. Unsurprisingly, the blonde was inspecting the massive walk-in closet that was larger than her bedroom back in Forks. 

“Rosalie, what… what is all this?” She couldn’t find the right words, instead waving her hands around in broad arcs.

“It’s a penthouse, Bella.” Rosalie replied dismissively as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She hadn’t even bothered to turn around or pause as she hung up her clothes. 

If Bella was thinking more clearly, she might have noticed the other garments already hanging in the closet or the full wall dedicated to shoes. As it was, her attention was locked on Rosalie. 

“Yeah, but… Isn’t it a little much? I think a Holiday Inn would have been fine.”

“Hardly, but if it makes you uncomfortable, we can go somewhere else. I just wanted you to enjoy your trip.”

“I don’t want you to spend your money on me. You’ve already done so much for me with the truck.” Bella looked at her feet, cheeks burning at her admission. She knew the Cullens were loaded but the sharp reminder of the socioeconomic gap had her feeling uneasy.

“Ha, that’s what you’re worried about?” Rosalie’s smile could have lit half a city block. “If it makes you feel any better, we’re not spending any of  _ my _ money, aside from what I tipped to the valet and bell services. Technically speaking, we’re spending Jasper’s money. This is his hotel and this suite is reserved for his and Alice’s private use. They let us use it when they’re not here.”

Bella’s mouth hung open at that but it did the trick of assuaging most of her discomfort. “How can he get away with something so public?”

“Jasper has an account manager who oversees operations on his behalf. Jerry, Jenkins, Johnson… J-something, I can’t remember. Due to his and Alice’s gifts he can tell who is trustworthy and reliable. Dealing so closely with humans wouldn’t work for someone like me or, heaven forbid, Emmett.” 

“Suddenly the ginormous, fully-stocked closet makes more sense.” Bella grumbled under her breath, even though it made little difference in the presence of someone with inhuman hearing. “Wait… we’re in Alice and Jasper’s… oh, God.” She hesitantly turned and took in the rest of the master bedroom, which she hadn’t really looked at when she was on her quest to find Rosalie. 

Her heart sank to her toes when she saw the California king bed standing proudly at the center of the room. The only bed.

“You can stop your fretting; I don’t sleep, remember? The bed is all yours.” Sometimes Bella really wondered if Rosalie could actually read her mind. 

“How did you know?”

“Your heart. It’s racing a mile a minute and you’ve got a blush that would make any tomato proud. Do you need a couple of human minutes to get yourself ready? Since we have some time to kill, I was thinking I could show you around the city.”

“Oh, yeah, that sounds good.”

Bella had to admit, Portland was rapidly becoming one of her favorite places. The day was an absolute whirlwind but she loved every moment of it. 

She might have been out of place at the hotel, but her clothes had her blending right in when they left. Downtown Portland was a true melting pot of people and culture. There was something new catching her eye everywhere she looked. 

There were people from all walks of life bustling around the busy sidewalks. Business people in expensive suits waited in line for coffee next to college students in casual hoodies. Street musicians and starving artists rocking more eclectic tastes peddled their trades on the corner. Families of all shapes and sizes hurried through last minute holiday shopping tasks. 

She heard at least three different languages being spoken as they waited at a crosswalk. She briefly wondered what it might be like for Rosalie and her vampiric senses. If it was this overwhelming for her, it was probably overpowering for Rosalie. She immediately worried for her travel companion. What if she lost control?

She chanced a quick glance out of the corner of her eye and was surprised by what she saw. Unlike Jasper or Edward, Rosalie seemed to be completely unaffected by the close proximity to so many humans.

Rosalie first took her to the Saturday Market where there was a huge selection of food trucks. Bella had to admit, it was a brilliant move. No one would notice that the vampire was not eating and she could stuff her face with anything and everything. Afterwards they went on a walk along the river so Bella could digest a bit and Rosalie rattled off bits of local history she remembered. By this time the sun was going down (at least judging by the darker shade of grey to the clouds) so Rosalie could walk freely. 

After the riverside stroll, they spent a couple of hours at the art museum. It was like she had her own personal guide. Apparently Rosalie’s area of study was not limited to the sciences and the blonde had an impressive understanding of arts and culture. 

Bella had a feeling that some of what Rosalie told her was from personal experience. She spoke as if she had been there, offering little anecdotes and pieces of trivia periodically. Bella stashed that thought away to bring up later. She felt that they were at a point where she could ask Rosalie more about her past without it being too intrusive. 

The best part of the day was the very end. Rosalie took her to Powell’s, a multi-story bookstore that took up an entire city block. Bella wanted to move in, but would settle for the three and a half hours they had before the store closed. 

She was absolutely exhausted by the time they returned to their temporary home away from home. She didn’t even remember the elevator ride or getting into bed; Rosalie could have carried her and she’d be none the wiser. 

Bella was lulled awake by the peaceful sounds of nature; a bird was singing nearby while a gentle breeze rustled the leaves. It was calm, familiar. She lay there for a moment with her eyes closed, content to enjoy the sun on her face. Eventually she slowly rolled over on her side; her fingers threaded through soft grasses as she pushed herself up to a leaning position. 

_ Wait, this isn’t right…  _

She was on her feet a second later, eyes wide as she spun in a circle. She was standing in the middle of a meadow.  _ The _ meadow. She hadn’t been here since… She looked around in a daze, taking in the familiar surroundings; it was exactly as she remembered it. It was a fine spring day, the sky was clear and the wildflowers were in bloom.

The baby hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.  _ Oh no. _ She didn’t want to turn around, she somehow knew what was waiting for her if she did, but she was powerless to stop her body. It was just like all of her other nightmares, the ones that had woken her up every night after the Cullens first left.

He was standing at the treeline, partially concealed by the shadows, wearing his grey wool suit. It was the same outfit he was wearing the day he abandoned her in the woods. 

“Bella.” He drawled in a voice smoother than honey, but it lacked the power it once had over her. 

Bella just stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to move or speak, no matter how badly she wanted to.

“I missed you.” He flashed a bright smile as he took a step forward, his skin dazzled in the sunlight. There was a time that his smile brought her to her knees but now it was dangerous, predatory. “I’ve come back for you. I made a mistake. I should have never left. You’re mine, Bella, you belong with me. Forever.”

_ ‘No, no, no’  _ Bella chanted in her mind. She felt the bile building up in the back of her throat, threatening to choke her. There was so much she wanted to say. Her mouth opened and closed a few times but the words never came.

“You’re wrong, Edward. She was never yours. You just deluded yourself into believing so because of the way her blood calls to you.”

Bella’s head snapped in the direction of the new voice, one that she had become very accustomed to as of late.

Rosalie stood on the opposite edge of the meadow from her adoptive brother, wearing a dazzling red dress with a plunging neckline that hugged her body like a glove; ending just above the knee with a long slit up the thigh. Her golden hair cascaded down in voluminous waves, pulled over her left shoulder. 

If Bella wasn’t on the brink of a panic attack, she would have enjoyed the view but as it was, she was too worked up. Rosalie had never appeared in her dream - nightmare - before, and the unknown had her on edge.

She studied Rosalie a moment longer. Her normally clear eyes were dark, nearly solid black, though Bella couldn’t tell if it was due to her hunger or something else entirely. Her body, while still graceful, was tense, poised like a spring ready to snap at any moment.

“Bella will be mine.” Edward growled menacingly, addressing the blonde, speaking as if Bella wasn’t standing between them. “I know what you’re thinking, but you are wrong. But if I need to get you out of the way, then so be it.”

Bella didn’t have time to react, both vampires were racing to her faster than her human eyes could register. “No, stop! Don’t do this, please!” She screamed out in vain, flailing her arms as if that would have any effect on the two immortals. All she could do was close her eyes as two ice cold hands gripped her strongly by the shoulders.

“Bella! Bella!”

Bella’s eyes shot open and was met with a very concerned Rosalie staring down at her, her cool hands still on her shoulders from shaking her awake.

“I’m sorry…” Bella stammered out of habit, her mind taking her back to those awful nights months ago. 

“You were having a nightmare, there’s no need to apologize. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you talk in your sleep.” Rosalie’s expression softened and she pushed a stray strand of hair from Bella’s face. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head and curled in on herself. She hated Rosalie seeing her so vulnerable. She truly thought she was over Edward; leave it to him to show up in her subconscious at the least opportune time. 

“Okay, then. Try to get back to sleep.” 

“Wait, Rose…” Bella sat up as the blonde reached for the door to take her leave. “Will you… will you stay with me? I don’t want to be alone.” She admitted in a small voice.

Rosalie silently nodded her consent and made her way across the room, getting in the bed next to her, propped up against the headboard. She didn’t complain as Bella looped her arms around her waist and nestled into her side.

It took Bella a few minutes to calm down but eventually her exhaustion started to overtake her.

“You won’t leave?” Bella murmured sleepily as her eyes drooped closed.

“Never.”

Rosalie’s comment was met with a soft snore and a heavy silence settled in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that, 2 updates in under 24 hours. Spoiled! Sadly this won’t be the normal pace, this ch just came to me.  
> And I had to represent my hometown... lol


	6. Chapter 6

Bella sighed happily as she roused from her deep slumber. Even in her sleepy state she was aware of the fact that she hadn’t slept this well in months, and was cursing her internal clock for ending it so soon. She’d much rather stay as she was, curled around her cool pillow, cradled in the comforting scent of warm cinnamon apple and fresh rain.

“Oh good, you’re awake.”

Bella’s eyes shot open. It took her a fraction of a second to realize that what she thought was a pillow was actually Rosalie’s side. It took her a second more to register the rather intimate position she suddenly found herself in. 

“Eeep!” If she had more than one functioning brain cell, she might have been embarrassed by the undignified noise. As it was, her mortification over the fact that she had been cuddling the other girl like her life depended on it trumped all else. 

She quickly released her hold on the vampire and jerked back several inches to create space between them. 

Her fight-or-flight response had her on alert physically, but her sleep-addled brain struggled to catch up. Her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, straining in the dim light, before settling on her unexpected bedfellow. 

Rosalie sat stiffly in the space next to her, propped up on a pillow with her upper back leaning against the headboard and her eyes closed. She wasn’t even breathing - not that she needed to, but the behavior was unusual. 

Bella immediately wondered if it was because she was feeling thirsty and there was a human clinging to her waist. She recalled Alice telling her that it was easier for them to ignore the blood lust if they held their breath. 

The possibility that Rosalie was fighting her nature should have been cause for concern, especially given their close proximity, but she trusted the blonde. Of all of the Cullen ‘kids,’ Rosalie was the only one who truly had given her no reason to fear her. Even Alice’s and Emmett’s eyes were jet black in the aftermath of Jasper’s attack, whereas Rosalie’s only darkened a shade or two. Besides, if Rosalie had meant to harm her (drink her), she’d had plenty of opportunities to dispatch her without a trace back in Forks. It made no sense for the vampire to bring her to such a public space just to lose control. Someone would definitely notice if Rosalie left the hotel carrying a Bella-shaped bag over her shoulder. 

Her immediate concerns assuaged, she was left to assume that Rosalie’s lack of breathing was simply because she had no reason to. 

After spending so much time together, Bella realized that Rosalie was quite adept at impersonating human behavior; so much so that it was easy for Bella to forget that she was a vampire. Isolated instances like this (and the time the blonde hoisted a van over her head when it partially slipped on its lift) served as stark reminders of her nonhuman status. It was amazing the difference something as inconsequential as shifting shoulders or an expanding rib cage could make when it suddenly disappeared. 

Regardless of the reasons behind Rosalie’s lack of breathing, it was still slightly unsettling to wake up unexpectedly cuddling a living statue. Especially when said statue was Rosalie Hale. That just added a whole new level of complexity to the situation that she didn’t have the mental capacity to sort through at the moment. 

“I’m so sorry!” She blinked, wracking her half-awake brain to remember how they ended up in this situation in the first place.

Rosalie slowly opened her eyes and shifted her body. _Bright gold; thirsty vampire crisis averted._

“You’re here… in bed…. with me… Wh-Why are you here?” Bella stammered, inwardly cursing how badly she was tripping over her words.

“You don’t remember last night?”

Bella quickly shook her head, missing the slight narrowing of golden eyes. “Not really. I was really out of it. We didn’t do anything, did we?”

“You were having a nightmare and you asked me to stay.” Rosalie’s tone was clipped as she moved toward the other side of the bed without further explanation. 

“Oh, right… thanks.” Bella flushed. She remembered the nightmare in vivid detail, but the rest was hazy. She asked Rosalie to stay? Moreover, Rosalie obliged the request? Why? When had she started cuddling the blonde? And why hadn’t Rosalie moved away or simply extracted herself once she had fallen asleep again? 

She shook her head. It didn’t serve her to dwell on the unknown, and she would rather put the embarrassing memory behind her. It was bad enough that her nightmares had returned but for Rosalie to witness it made everything exponentially worse. 

“Don’t mention it.” The blonde slid off the bed and headed for the closet. The tone was cold; unfeeling. It was like their weeks of progress disappeared overnight and she was facing the Ice Queen again. 

Rosalie was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday but Bella didn’t comment. It was obvious that Rosalie was annoyed and she didn’t want to risk pissing her off further. She had the feeling that the girl’s foul mood was directly related to the way they had spent the night. 

It wasn’t her fault! She was asleep! It was all unconsciously done. Surely Rosalie wouldn’t hold that against her? Maybe she was just annoyed at having been forced to play pillow for the human? Oh god, had she drooled?!

Her heart sank as another thought crossed her mind. She had just cuddled Rosalie through the night in an intimate embrace. An embrace the vampire hadn’t reciprocated. 

The lightbulb clicked and all evidence pointed to one glaringly obvious conclusion: Rosalie suspected her growing feelings and was disgusted by her. 

She knew the vampire had overheard the conversation with Jessica, and therefore knew that she had been on the fence about possibly being interested in girls. She had naively believed that because Rosalie hadn’t brought it up that she didn’t care. Obviously that wasn’t the case. 

Stupid brain. Stupid crush.

How could she be so dumb to believe she had a chance?

Rosalie. Perfect, untouchable, beautiful-beyond-reason, straight Rosalie Hale. Emmett’s girlfriend. 

She quickly swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked away the tears. Mercifully, if the vampire noticed, she didn’t say anything about it. 

Following Rosalie’s lead, she rolled out of bed, albeit much less gracefully. Thankfully the movement was enough to pull her from her darkening thoughts and her brain finally kicked into gear. She needed to play damage control so Rosalie wouldn’t further suspect her crush. If she played her cards right, she might be able to salvage the situation. 

_‘Be cool, Swan. Don’t make a big deal of it…’_

“I guess I wasn’t expecting you to still be here, though. I’ve never woken up with a vampire in my bed before. I mean… Edward always snuck out at some point so he could go hunting.” 

A perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised higher, eyes narrowing dangerously.

_‘Not cool… nice going, you just made it worse.’_

“I see. Well, since you’re awake, we should get going. It’s about an hour drive to the junkyard and we’re already behind schedule because someone decided that sleep was more important.” Rosalie called over her shoulder as she entered the giant closet to find a new outfit.

Bella sighed and went to her duffle bag, grabbing fresh clothes and heading to the bathroom. Maybe she was better off holding her tongue at this time since her efforts to smooth the situation over were having the opposite effect. She completed her morning routine and showered in record time, not wanting to annoy the vampire more by dawdling. 

Bella found Rosalie was reclined on a chaise lounge in the living room, absentmindedly flicking through one of Alice’s magazines. What struck her as odd wasn’t her casual clothes (by now she was accustomed to seeing Rosalie in her ‘work gear’), it was that her usually sharp eyes were distant and unfocused as she turned the pages. 

For once she wished she had Edward’s ability so she could unravel the mystery behind that enigmatic gaze. There was so much there, carefully locked away behind impenetrable walls.

“Let’s go. We can get you breakfast on the road,” Was the only warning Rosalie gave her before sweeping past her for the elevator. 

Bella sighed and followed her, determined not to crumble. She would not show how much the rejection stung. 

“Here, put these on. Carlisle would be disappointed if I allowed you to hurt yourself or contract a tetanus infection.” Rosalie handed her a pair of thick leather gloves. 

Bella hastily complied. The soft lining warmed her numb fingers, protecting them against the bitter morning chill. When Rosalie described scrapyarding to her, she hadn’t realized it would be so cold. Admittedly, it was a pretty stupid mistake on her part. It was outside. In Oregon. In December. Of course it would be freezing. 

Rosalie moved quickly and methodically through the rows of vehicles; all business, no play. It was surprising, considering how excited she had been when inviting Bella on the trip. She would stop occasionally, poke around under the hood and tut to herself. Even when she found something she needed, her reaction was subdued at best. Just further evidence of the damage that had been done to their relationship. 

Despite the tension, the tip off about the trucks turned out to be a goldmine. They were able to find all of the missing components as well as a few spare items in just a few hours of rooting around at the Pick-n-Pull Junkyard. 

More accurately, Rosalie found the parts. Bella just followed behind like a shadow. She wasn’t keen on inadvertently hurting herself by attempting to pull apart an engine that she had no business handling. She had learned a lot, but she was far from an expert. That, and she didn’t want to risk getting in Rosalie’s way. The faster they finished, the faster they could go home and put this experience behind them. 

By dinner, the pair had barely shared a dozen words. Bella hated it. The dour mood between them was suffocating, even more oppressive than the grey blanket of low lying clouds. 

She absentmindedly twirled her spaghetti around her fork before making up her mind. 

Enough was enough. She wasn’t a doormat anymore; that Bella was long gone. She refused to be consumed by the fear and doubt and never really knowing **.** She felt a surge of resolve fill her chest; suddenly bolstered by the newfound confidence.

She had to get to the bottom of it. She had to know what was actually going on in Rosalie’s mind. She wanted to hear it for herself, to hell with the consequences. The damage was already done so it wasn’t like she had much else to lose. If she was lucky, Rosalie might even let her apologize and be willing to overlook her misstep.

She slammed her palm down on the table. The loud noise startled both herself and her silent companion. 

“We had a great time yesterday and now you’re being all withdrawn and moody. I know something happened last night but I don’t know what I did wrong but clearly something changed.” 

After playing through this conversation on repeat for hours on end at the junkyard, she had determined it would be best to play the ignorant card. That way she had the benefit of the doubt in case Rosalie’s reason differed from her previous assumptions. Why out herself or back herself into a corner unnecessarily?

“Just tell me, please! I can’t fix it if I don’t know what I did in the first place.” She pleaded when her opening statement was met with silence. Much to her chagrin, her voice was higher and louder than she intended, betraying her desperation for an answer. Thankfully their booth was tucked away in a dark corner with no one around to overhear them. 

Rosalie glared but held firm. Aside from setting down her fork, she remained perfectly still. 

“Seriously? You’re going to be like that? I thought we were past you being a passive aggressive bitch to me. I thought that after all this time we were friends.” She was on the verge of losing her cool, her frustration fueled by Rosalie’s indifference. All of the emotions she had been holding back came rushing forward, anger and hurt leading the charge. 

“We are.” The vampire finally ground out. 

If she wasn’t so pissed, Bella would have been jumping for joy at the admission. 

“You’re not being a very good friend, then! Friends are honest and talk to one another. Friends share when things are bothering them. Friends don’t withhold information or keep secrets.” _‘Okay, now I’m being hypocritical…’_ her rational brain supplied, cutting through the emotional clutter in her mind. Her mental chastisement helped her take a step back and calm her jets. 

She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing slowly. In through the nose and out through the mouth. After a moment she felt a little more in control and opened her eyes. 

Rosalie’s face remained neutral but there was a dangerous fire dancing in her eyes. 

“Fine.” The blonde finally spat out, venom practically dripping off the word. The conflicted expression gave Bella the impression that she’d rather rip her own leg off than have this conversation. “I cannot believe I’m saying this. Your reaction this morning hurt my feelings.” 

Bella opened her mouth, instantly ready to jump to her own defense. Thankfully she had enough sense to close it before she said something she would regret. Her mouth opened and closed a few times while she processed what Rosalie had said. 

Rosalie’s feelings were hurt? She spent so much time thinking that Rosalie was basically an immortal goddess that she forgot that she was still human - sort of - and was capable of having emotions. 

“Wait… what?”

“I did what you asked of me but then this morning I could tell you regretted it. And then what you said… Did you really think that I had taken advantage of the situation? What kind of person do you think I am? Do I make you that uncomfortable?” Rosalie turned her head, unwilling to look Bella in the face. “And before you try to deny it, I have my reasons for thinking this. Your heart was racing and you jumped away so quickly. I thought it was better if I kept my distance.”

“Oh my god, you silly vampire! I was in shock! I had just woken up! I wasn’t thinking clearly!” Bella couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. 

Rosalie’s brow creased in confusion, “You’re not mad at me? You weren’t just faking having a good time yesterday for my sake?”

“No! I thought you were mad at _me_! I mean, I was completely up in your space. Yesterday was amazing and I really enjoyed myself.” Internally she was rejoicing. Rosalie didn’t hate her and she didn’t suspect the crush after all! This was turning out better than she had anticipated.

“Oh.” Rosalie blinked unnecessarily. “So this was all a misunderstanding?”

Bella cleared her throat to stifle her residual laughter. “It looks like it. What is it with you vampires being all broody, mysterious, doom and gloom?”

“It’s a force of habit.”

“It’s a dumb habit.”

Rosalie shrugged but didn’t respond. 

“So, we were both kinda in the wrong here. How about moving forward, we try to talk things through before jumping to conclusions? Deal?” Bella held her hand into the space between them, offering a hopeful smile.

“Deal.” Rosalie returned the gesture, taking the proffered hand and giving it a light shake while the corner of her lip curved up slightly. Bella really wished that Rosalie smiled more freely, it was a beautiful view.

“For the record, I didn’t mind. You’re very comfortable.”

“I’m glad to know that I can add ‘pillow’ to my list of skills.” 

“And I guess I should be thanking you. For keeping the bad dreams away.”

“I’m sorry you are experiencing them in the first place. It seems that you have some unresolved anxiety regarding how things went with my brother. I could offer you some meditation and healing exercises, if you like. Don’t look at me like that, I’m a trained professional. I have a degree in psychology.” Rosalie clarified when Bella fixed her with a doubtful expression.

“Maybe later, Doc.” She responded sarcastically. She truly appreciated the offer, she didn’t have anyone else to talk to about what she had experienced. At the same time, being psychoanalyzed by the vampire that was the current source of her confusion and internal conflict didn’t rank too high on her list of priorities. Too many opportunities to learn other secrets that needed to remain hidden.

A pleasant silence settled between them as Bella dug into her spaghetti with newfound enthusiasm. She appreciated that Rosalie didn’t watch her eat like Edward had. That had always made her uncomfortable, like she was a science experiment that needed constant observation. 

“For the record, I didn’t mind, either. Just call me if you need someone to scare away the nightmares. I’m certainly much worse than anything your mind can imagine and it’s not like you’d be waking me up.”

“I don’t doubt that - the sleeping bit I mean. I’ll keep it in mind.” Bella attempted to hide her blush behind her hand, feigning a cough. Eager to change the subject and take advantage of the openness Rosalie was exhibiting, Bella decided to push her luck a little. 

“So… psychology? I never would have expected that.”

“I have several degrees, actually, including engineering, astrophysics, and medical sciences. I briefly considered becoming a doctor, but I don’t have the patience Carlisle has for dealing with humans injuring themselves with their own stupidity.”

“Wow. Why so many degrees?”

“It passes the time, and it beats repeating high school.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine having to go through that over and over.”

Rosalie chuckled and nodded before continuing. “Aside from not having to deal with smelly, hormonal teenage boys, going to college has many other advantages. Physically, I’m 19, almost 20. I have to apply a lot of makeup to make myself passable as a high school student. We’ve gotten better over time but I hear the whispers behind my back. It’s easier to blend in on college campuses. Also, high school curriculum is stagnant, whereas college courses update semi-regularly, which helps me keep up with the times and stay current on technological advancements and innovation. This in turn helps us blend in. There are some vampires who lead completely isolated lives, so when we come across them it’s glaringly obvious how out of place they are.”

“I guess that makes sense. Is that what you’ll do next? Go to college?” Bella tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. She wasn’t sure what she was hoping to hear but the thought of losing Rosalie at the end of the school year made her sick to her stomach. She might not have a romantic future with the blonde, but she had grown close and frankly, she couldn’t imagine life without being around vampires. She was still on the fence if she wanted to _be_ one. There was a time when she wanted nothing more, but now she wasn’t so certain.

“I haven’t decided. I might spend some time traveling. I haven’t hiked Everest in a while.”

“Oh, I’ll just hike Everest, she says casually,” Bella scoffed in jest. “I guess having endless time and unlimited strength changes your outlook on things, doesn’t it?”

“It does indeed.”

Rosalie’s eyes flicked up as the server came over to tell them the restaurant was closing soon and to drop off the bill.

Bella snatched it up quickly, taking advantage of the fact that Rosalie couldn’t use her vampire speed in front of the unsuspecting human.

“I was going to pay for that.”

“I know, but you’ve done so much already, it’s literally the least I can do. Besides, you didn’t even get to enjoy your meal. You can pay next time.” Bella grinned, placing a few bills in the folder. She was feeling light and playful and the words slipped out before she realized what she had said. 

“Oh, you think I’m going to take you to dinner again?”

_‘Damn it, just had to run your mouth, didn’t you? Back to damage control.’_

“Sure, why not? We’re friends, right?”

“Whatever you say, Bella. Come on, let’s get out of here. We can head back to Forks tomorrow morning. I’m sorry we can’t stay longer. With everything that’s happened, I need to hunt sooner than I anticipated. The new parts will arrive sometime next week. I’ll let you know when and we can finish the truck.”

“I got it, I got it!” Bella called as she hurried through the house to grab the ringing phone, narrowly avoiding tripping over the corner of the living room rug. 

“Hello?”

“Bella! Hey!”

A broad smile stretched across Bella’s face when she recognized the voice on the other end of the line. 

“Jake! Hey! What’s up?”

“You’ll never guess! My dad got me the master cylinder I was missing for the Rabbit for Christmas! She’s all done now and I wanted to know if you wanted to go for a whirl! There’s a new kung fu movie out, and it’s playing in Port Angeles!”

“Yeah, that sounds good. When?”

“I was thinking this afternoon? Is that too soon? I could come pick you up in an hour or so, that would get us there in time to make the matinee.”

“Perfect! Come on by, I’ll be ready when you get here. Drive safe, no crashing on your car’s maiden voyage.”

“You got it, boss.” The line went dead with a loud click. 

Bella hurried to get ready. Since she and Rosalie returned from Portland she had fallen back into her couch potato ways, eager to just enjoy the break. It would be nice to get out and about for a bit.

The movie was about as good as she was expecting for a low budget B-film, but it was still enjoyable mindless entertainment. She and Jake spent more time laughing and making fun of the bad script than caring about the actual movie plot (or lack thereof).

After, they headed to a diner close to the theatre to get a proper dinner. She was grateful that she had bought the tickets and Jake was covering the food bill because the assortment of food in front of him was enough to feed a small army. 

“What? I’m a growing boy, I require sustenance!” Jake laughed as he reached for his second burger. She had barely taken three bites of her own. 

“So, anything new and exciting going on at the Rez?”

“Eh, not really.” Jake shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

Bella raised an eyebrow, “C’mon, you’re a terrible liar. You know you can trust me with anything, right? So what is it? Girl problems? Boy problems?”

“What? No! I mean, kinda but it’s not what you think.” Jake shoved the rest of the burger in his mouth as a temporary distraction. “Okay, fine. So there’s this guy, Sam. I remember him growing up; he used to come over to do homework with Rachel and Rebecca. From what I remember he was nice, I guess, but he was too interested in hanging out with my sisters to really pay any attention to me.”

Bella listened intently as she sipped on her milkshake. 

“Anyway, he came back about a month ago and now is acting like he owns the place. He’s got some followers, too. I catch him looking at me all weird, too. It seriously creeps me out.”

“Did you talk to your dad?”

“I tried but he just blew it off. Said that Sam’s an upstanding member of the tribe and he’s doing good work in the community. I dunno. It’s just weird and it’s freaking me out.”

Bella’s heart went out to the boy. Despite his appearance, he looked every bit the scared 16 year old he was. Her anger flared at Billy. Why wasn’t he taking his son seriously? Something was amiss. 

“Well, if you need a place to crash til things cool down, you can always come stay with me and Charlie. The guest bedroom is small but it’s nice.”

“Thanks, Bells.” Jacob brightened and returned to stuffing his face. 

Jacob had just moved on to dessert when he suddenly clutched his stomach, his eyes screwed tight. His pained groans started getting steadily louder.

“Whoa, Jake, you ok?” Bella reached for him across the table. She hissed and retracted her hand when she touched the burning skin of his forearm. “Shit you’re burning up! We need to get you to the hospital!”

“No! My dad. There’s some flu going around. I need to get home.” Jake grunted through strained breaths. “Sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

Before she had time to blink, he vacated his seat and was out the door a split second later. 

She slumped back against the vinyl booth. What the hell was that? He went from perfectly fine to stumbling and delirious in literally a minute! And he left her!

She was worried about her friend, of course, but she was still annoyed he had just run off without an explanation and left her stranded an hour from home. 

Moving on autopilot, she got out her phone and shot off a quick text to Rosalie. 

35 minutes later the signature red convertible was pulling into the first spot out front. The server was still clearing the plates when Rosalie swept into the dining establishment. Golden eyes settled on her immediately. 

“Wow… orders all this food and dashes out on the bill? Real charmer.” Rosalie drawled sarcastically as she surveyed the graveyard of empty plates littering the table. 

“It’s not like that. He got sick suddenly and had to go.”

“I can’t imagine why. Couldn’t possibly be the gluttonous behavior.”

Rosalie’s nose wrinkled as she approached, freezing midstep. “Bella… Who exactly were you with tonight?”

Bella looked at her, confused by the sudden change in tone. 

“Uh, my friend Jacob Black.”

“What exactly happened?”

“He wasn’t feeling well. It was like a fever hit him all of a sudden and he had to go home. He was so out of it he kinda forgot he was my ride. Actually he probably shouldn’t have driven. In my defense he was gone so fast I didn’t have time to stop him. Wouldn’t have made a difference anyway; he’s huge.”

“Is he by chance from La Push?” 

Bella could have sworn she heard a low growl emit from Rosalie when she nodded confirmation, but the sound ended abruptly. 

“You should be careful around him. You might be in danger being around him.”

“The same could be said about you, Rosalie.” He might have ditched her, but she still felt protective of her friend. More than that, Rosalie’s statement rubbed her wrong, as did her expression. There was disgust, anger, and… fear? The memory of Billy’s suspicious looks flitted through her mind. 

_‘So the Blacks are suspicious of the Cullens and vice versa. Interesting. Wonder what’s going on there.’_ She quickly shook it off for the time being, making a note to circle back later.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s not contagious. Usually by the time one presents symptoms, they’re out of their contagious phase, right?” Bella hedged, still not entirely sure what Rosalie was implying but the blonde’s tone indicated she shouldn’t push the matter. 

“Right. Well, need I remind you I am the one with the actual degree in the subject?”

“Yeah, yeah, Doc, I know. Rub it in.” She grimaced when she saw the check but dropped her debit card. Jake had some serious making up to do.

“Only when it’s warranted. Speaking of which, have you considered my offer?”

Bella groaned, momentarily distracting herself by signing the receipt. She hadn’t been sleeping well, though the nightmares weren’t as bad as they used to be. She took a deep breath and swallowed her pride.

“Yeah, I think I might need to take you up on that after all.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about psychology... most of this is what I remember from my own experiences... eeek! Hope it isn’t too far off the mark.

“So, I’m not really good at this - you know, talking about myself.” Bella shifted uncomfortably in the plush leather arm chair. 

Eager for a distraction, her eyes glanced around the large room, taking stock of Carlisle’s office. The first and last time she had been in this room, her arm was basically a glass Pez dispenser. Factoring in the shock from the attack and being thrown through a table, she hadn’t had the chance to appreciate the space. Now that she was looking at it with a clear head, it was truly remarkable. 

It looked more like a library or even a museum than an office. The floor to ceiling dark wood shelves were stocked with hundreds, if not thousands, of books of varying shapes and sizes. Some looked more recent with glossy book covers and bold fonts on the spine, whereas others had a distinctly antique appearance. Various curios and priceless knick-knacks collected over the centuries were displayed in glass cases around the room. A large area rug with a geometric pattern covered most of the floor. 

_‘Probably Persian. That seems like Carlisle’s style,’_ she mused internally. 

She itched to take a closer look at everything but she remained in her seat. Her attention drifted to the vampire sitting behind the giant mahogany desk that commanded the room.

Rosalie was watching her intently, but the gaze lacked the judgemental edge that she was accustomed to whenever Edward had stared at her. There was still the underlying vampiric intensity, but Rosalie’s expression was more open; it was light and curious, though a different brand of curiosity than Carlisle’s scientific scrutiny. She leaned forward on her elbows, her slender fingers interlaced together with her chin resting on her index fingers.

“There’s no pressure or rush, Bella. If you do not feel comfortable with this, we can try again another day. Or not. It’s your call. Just being open to talking with me was brave, so don’t be discouraged if you’re not ready to move forward yet. Healing takes time and the first steps are always the hardest.”

“No, I think I can do this. It’s just… No one’s really asked me about this stuff before. Renée, my mom, she wasn’t the best at the whole nurturing mother thing when I was growing up. It was always about what was going on in her life, never mine. Hell, she forgot my birthday one year. Thankfully, I’ve never been one to care about presents or parties, but it still sucked for an eleven year old. In a lot of ways I was the adult and she was the child. And Charlie… well, he tries but he’s not exactly good at feelings. Between the two of them, I kinda learned just to keep it inside. I guess I got the impression that other people were more interesting, and I didn’t want to be an inconvenience or bore them by subjecting them to listening to me.”

Rosalie nodded slowly and leaned back in the high backed office chair as she listened to the words rushing from the brunette’s mouth. “Perhaps we could start there, your relationship with your mother and how it influenced your development?”

Bella released a low whistle as she exhaled. That was a _huge_ can of worms that she did _not_ want to tackle. This was supposed to be about her experience with vampires, not her border-line negligent mother. She hadn’t even meant to bring that up, she just wanted to explain her reasoning.

“Uh, maybe another time. I think there’s a lot buried there that I’m just not ready to get into. I’d like to maybe start slow and maybe ease into it?”

“That’s perfectly understandable and I respect that. You set the pace, do not feel obligated to talk if you don’t feel like sharing. I would like to remind you that it’s just you and me here. I will not judge you or hold anything you say in these sessions against you. Nor will I share anything you tell me with anyone else; I’m very skilled at protecting my thoughts. This is a safe space.” 

Bella nodded her understanding. Rosalie’s proclamation had her feeling slightly more at ease, but her palms were still sweating and her knee bounced incessantly with excess nervous energy. 

She had been looking forward to and dreading this moment for the past two weeks. She had waffled back and forth for days after accepting Rosalie’s offer, debating whether or not she should cancel. In the end she determined that if she were to truly move forward like she wanted to, she needed to tackle this head on. Rosalie was the only option she had since she couldn’t exactly call up some regular shrink and start running her mouth about near death encounters with supernatural beings that weren’t supposed to exist. Plus, Rosalie had a degree in the subject, surely that qualified her more than anyone else she knew. 

To ease her doubts, she had convinced herself that it was just talking, something they did every day, and therefore it wasn’t a big deal. She would just tell her side of the story and poof! All better. Right?

Once she was firm in her decision to talk with the selectively-friendly neighborhood vampire psychologist, she spent time planning out what she wanted to talk about. She determined that she wanted to talk about what she had endured at the hands of vampires over the past year, since that seemed to be the source of her anxiety - namely James, but also Jasper to a lesser degree. She also wanted to talk about Edward. ‘Wanted’ might not be the right word, but she felt it was a necessary evil to address at some point. 

She also determined that she did _not_ want to discuss her feelings, aside from those directly associated with her trauma. She wanted to keep things professional, no mushy heart-to-hearts if at all possible. And under absolutely no circumstances was she going to reveal any feelings related to Rosalie herself. No, those needed to stay safely tucked away, never to see the light of day.

Now that they were in the moment, she realized just how big of a deal this really was and how naive she had been to think otherwise. 

Up until this point, everything she and Rosalie had discussed had been relatively superficial, mostly revolving around school or the cars but never personal matters. Yes, they’d had a few difficult conversations over the past few weeks, but this? This was a whole different level, one she had never reached with anyone before. Alice was the closest she had ever come but even that wasn’t the same. 

Could she open up and share her deepest thoughts and feelings? Was she comfortable baring her soul and allowing herself to be vulnerable? Was she ready to face the inevitable pain she had bottled up and tucked away deep inside?

At least she knew the answer to that last question, which was a resounding yes. It would hurt but she believed that acknowledging the hurt was an essential part of the healing process. 

The jury was still out on the other two. 

The metaphorical line in the sand had been drawn; the point of no return stared back at her, taunting her. If she chose to take this step, it would inevitably change her relationship with Rosalie. She knew it, and so did Rosalie. Did she want to do that? She liked where things were, and she didn’t want to potentially jeopardize the hard-earned friendship. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.

But the tiny voice in her head chimed in: she needed this and Rosalie had offered to help of her own volition. 

Bella took a deep, steadying breath and wiped her palms on her jeans. 

“I want to trust you. I mean, I really do trust you… I realize now it’s going to be more uncomfortable than I originally thought to talk about all this, but I do want to do this. And I’m glad it’s you, I just… I just don’t want to be hurt again. It’s nothing against you. I don’t think you would hurt me intentionally, I’m just worried about opening up to you and then what happens next when the inevitable comes to pass. One day you’ll leave me…” 

_‘Ok, way to jump right off into the deep end without a life jacket. So much for sticking to the plan, Swan.’_

This was exactly what she didn’t want to have happen. She clamped her mouth shut to cut off her rambling before she said anything else she would regret. 

Several emotions flashed across the pale visage sitting opposite her, but Bella couldn’t bring herself to look long enough to dissect the vampire’s expression.

Instead, her eyes flicked up to the portrait hanging above the desk. It was set in an ornate gold frame that looked like it belonged in a museum. Three men and three women stood on a balcony overlooking a crowd of people. They were dressed in fancy suits and robes, the kind of clothes one might wear to the Renaissance Festival, but Bella got the distinct impression that they were the real deal, not wannabe LARP-ers.

Rosalie followed her gaze shifting in her seat to look at the painting. She seemed to understand Bella’s reluctance to continue and indulged the brunette’s need for a distraction. “The Volturi.”

Bella’s eyebrow raised. That name sounded familiar; the distant memory tickled the back of her brain. 

Sparing her further confusion, Rosalie elaborated. “Aro, Marcus, and Caius. The women are Athenodora, Didyme, and Sulpicia.” She gestured to each as she named them off. “They’re essentially the leaders of the vampires. They fancy themselves to be the kings and queens and us their subjects.”

“Have you met them?”

“More times than I care to remember. We are required to check in with them every decade or so. It’s how they keep tabs on us. Aro can read your thoughts with a single touch, so he knows right away if you broke any laws. Well, maybe not yours since you seem to be immune to mind reading, but let’s not test that theory.”

Bella nodded slowly, then jolted reflectively in her seat when her brain finally placed the name. “That first night! When you were arguing with Edward. You were saying something about laws and the Volturi but he cut you off before you could finish. I asked him about it later but he brushed me off. He said it wasn’t important and not to worry.”

“He is an idiot. It was wrong of him to hide so much from you, especially once you figured out what we are. He believed he was protecting you, at least that’s how he justified his obsession with you. If anything, concealing the truth put you in _more_ danger. Keeping you in the dark made you reliant on him for protection. He loved it. Having that power gave him a sense of importance he had been lacking in his miserable existence. If he had truly intended to keep you safe, he would have stayed in Denali until you left Forks. He should have left you alone.”

Bella’s eyes widened, taken aback by Rosalie’s response. Not by her candid delivery, the blonde was never one to mince her words, but rather the sheer animosity she wasn’t even trying to conceal. She hadn’t realized the extent of the tension between the siblings. Then again, she rarely saw them interact.

She knew her immersion into the vampire world was a touchy subject for the Cullens. In the first months after meeting the family, she had overheard several arguments break out on the matter - the majority of which involved Rosalie and something being thrown at someone else’s head, usually Edward’s. Rosalie’s statement reinforced the fact that she disagreed with how Edward had handled the situation. However, she was getting the impression that there was more to the story than what she originally believed. 

“You were scared that night. You’re scared of the Volturi?” She took a stab in the dark, replaying the fuzzy memory in her mind. 

“I’m a vampire. I don’t get scared.” The blonde scoffed and folded her arms across her chest, staring back defiantly; silently daring her to continue. 

“Fine, you were… Concerned, though apparently for good reason. Was that why you didn’t like me being around?”

“Partially. The main reason is because you annoyed the hell out of me and I couldn’t stand being around you.” Rosalie was nothing if not blunt. “Since you made it clear that you had no intention of leaving us alone, I simply removed myself from the picture as much as I could.”

“Ouch, that’s pretty harsh.”

“The truth hurts sometimes, Bella. I think if you’ve learned anything about me over these past few months, it’s that I won’t lie and I’ll speak my mind as I see fit. Anyway, you were always fawning over him, droning on about how perfect he was. My God, he was all you ever talked about. It was always ‘Edward this’ or ‘Edward that’ or ‘Edward wants something.’ Forgive me if I didn’t want to sit around and listen to the mindless blather.”

“Ah, fair point…” Bella flushed at the memory, embarrassment welling up inside. She had been so smitten that she hadn’t really considered what it was like from an outside perspective. If what Rosalie said was true - which she had no reason to doubt otherwise - she probably would have even annoyed herself if she was a witness to her past behavior.

“You let him control your life and never made your own decisions. He loved the attention, of course. You adored him so much and bent over backwards at his every whim. Since he couldn’t read your mind, it made him feel special, like he had earned your love without having to exploit your thoughts. It was what made him think you were his mate, when in fact, you are his Blood Singer, _il cantante di sangue,_ who just happens to be immune to his gift.”

“His what?” Bella did her best not to shiver at Rosalie’s perfect Italian. 

“Blood Singer, or just Singer, is a term we use for humans whose blood we find especially alluring. Every human has a unique scent, and some smell more appealing than others. But a Singer? There is no comparison. It’s almost impossible to deny our thirst when we find one of our Singers.”

A quiet “Oh” was all she could manage in response. 

“This was another reason I wanted you to stay far away from us. Not only were you in constant danger -oh don’t look at me like that. I may not have liked you but I didn’t actually want you dead - but Edward risked exposing us all if his control slipped, either because he killed you publicly or because of the inevitable investigation that would have followed. You’re the Chief of Police’s daughter and this is a very small town. Oblivious as they are, people would have noticed your sudden disappearance and they knew who you associated with. We were prime suspects.”

Bella winced, remembering how Edward had once told her that her blood was like a drug to him. He never used that term though. 

“So I was - am - his Singer? Am I anyone else’s?” She wanted to know if there were any other vampires out there who might want to murder her, at least more than the usual amount that came with the territory of simply being a food source.

“Singers are unique to each vampire, though I don’t think it’s necessarily exclusive. I suppose it is possible for you to be someone else’s Singer, in addition to being Edward’s. It’s hard to know, since most Singers don’t see the light of day once they’ve been discovered.”

“Have you ever met a Singer?” Rosalie’s averted eyes told her all she needed to know. She quickly turned the conversation. “That’s why he went hunting every night?”

“Yes.” Rosalie’s gaze returned to hers, residual pain and guilt lingered in her golden depths. “He thought that if he was over saturated with blood then he would be able to resist yours. I repeatedly told him it was stupid and that’s not how it worked but he was insistent. Since he believed you to be his mate, he believed he would never harm you. He was completely blinded by his bloodlust but refused to acknowledge it for what it was.”

“You mean to tell me that he _knew_ what I was and yet he stayed around?” She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a calming breath when Rosalie nodded confirmation. “Hypothetically speaking, if I were to accept and forgive that he mistook the Singer pull for mating bond or whatever - which I don’t, by the way - what about everyone else? You couldn’t have been the only one who realized I wasn’t his mate, right? Did they really just let it happen - played Russian roulette with my life like it was no big deal?” 

Rosalie hesitated for a moment, “Despite the glaring signs that indicated otherwise, they believed what Edward said about you being his mate and they put far too much faith in Alice’s visions.”

A fire erupted in Bella’s stomach, hot anger radiated from her skin. She knew she had been dancing with the devil but hadn’t realized the extent of the danger she had been in. And that the rest of the Cullens allowed it! At the time she thought Rosalie’s objections to her being around Edward were because she hated her. _Had Rosalie actually been the only one in her corner this whole time?_

She clenched her fists until the skin over her knuckles went white, pressing them into the tops of her thighs. She closed her eyes and tried a few breathing exercises to calm herself down. 

_‘What’s done is done. Lesson learned.’_

“He told me I was his mate but you said it was obvious I wasn’t. How was it obvious?”

Rosalie’s abrupt growl startled her. The blonde’s eyes shifted a deep amber, her lips pulled back aggressively to reveal her perfect sharp teeth. Bella instinctively flinched back in her seat, heart racing as images of Jasper flashed before her eyes. Despite her fear, she still had the sense to notice that Rosalie’s fangs hadn’t descended and her eyes weren’t black. 

A second later Rosalie was back to normal and looking very apologetic. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Bella. Please, I would never hurt you. We take mate claims very seriously, and false claims… Hearing you say that aloud confirmed that he manipulated you and lied outright to you -”

“It’s okay, Rose. I know there are some things I just won’t understand because I’m not a vampire.”

Rosalie offered a sheepish smile, “You’ve always been too forgiving when it comes to my family. To answer your question, simply the fact that you were his Singer was red flag number one. The other point against it was that he wasn’t willing to turn you. He wanted to keep you alive and human because if you turned, well, there'd be no blood left to sing. If he wanted to be your mate, then he would have wanted more than just one human lifetime with you.”

“I always wondered why he was so reluctant to turn me when I asked. It didn’t make sense.”

“I think I should also take a moment to clarify any misconceptions you might have about mates because I have a feeling that your information isn’t entirely accurate. What have you been told?”

“Well,” Bella shifted in her chair, self-conscious that she was probably once again grossly misinformed. She hated feeling like an idiot. It wasn’t like she had done anything wrong, aside from trusting the wrong person. It wasn’t her fault that he lied to her, she didn’t know any better.

“Edward said each vampire has a single mate and they are meant to be forever, like eternal soulmates. Like Carlisle and Esme, Alice and Jasper, and… you and Emmett.” _Why did that sting so much to say aloud?_ She wasn’t at all expecting Rosalie’s reaction.

The vampire laughed; an honest-to-God full body laugh with her head thrown back, eyes closed and everything. It was one of the most beautiful sounds Bella had ever heard, so wonderful that she couldn’t find it in herself to be embarrassed about making an apparently ridiculous statement. After a few seconds, Rosalie wiped a nonexistent tear from her eye as she regained her composure. 

“I’m sorry, you thought Emmett and I are mates?”

“You’re not?” Bella couldn’t contain her surprise.

“Heavens no! I want to strangle him at least 90 percent of the time. I think I’ve ripped every limb off his body at some point in time because he annoyed me for some reason or another.”

“You mean you two aren’t together?” Bella’s brain was still trying to wrap itself around this new piece of information. She did her best to keep her heart rate even, but the organ was beating a tattoo against her rib cage.

“No, Bella, we aren’t.” Rosalie smoothed down the front of her black dress and adjusted her hair. “Now, addressing the ‘soulmate’ issue. Mates is a concept among younger vampires. It’s true we feel emotions more strongly and we experience time differently from humans, so I suppose it’s easy to see where this concept of soulmates originated from. In reality it’s just a colloquialism among vampires. It’s not an eternal bond, though it sometimes feels like that, especially for newly mated couples learning how to cope with the intensity of a new relationship. In human terms, it’s more like a relationship or marriage, the honeymoon phase just tends to last longer for us. If we were destined for a single mate - who could exist in any place and time in history - for eternity, there would be a lot of lonely vampires in the world.”

“I guess that would make sense. It would really suck if your soulmate died or like, existed thousands of years ago or something.”

“Just like with human relationships, there are those we are more attracted to, with whom we share a deeper compatibility. And unmated vampires are free to have casual relations as well without entering into a relationship or consequences as long as both parties are aware of expectations. But even still, to claim a mate bond with one that you’re clearly not compatible with is frowned upon.”

“That’s very different from what I was told.” Bella leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees with her head in her hands. Her brain was running on high gear trying to process all of this new information. “Wait. You said younger vampires, implying you’re not?”

“Are you seriously about to ask me my age? Tsk, I thought you had better manners, Miss Swan. You should tread carefully…” 

Bella gulped reflexively but decided to go for it. “I’m sorry, I just don’t know much about you. Will you tell me about it, your life?”

“Perhaps one day. For now I’d like to continue correcting your ignorance. Another reason why I avoided you was plausible deniability. What my family did was against the law.”

“Vampires have laws?”

“Not many, and only one the Volturi regularly enforce; we keep our existence from humans. We don’t make spectacles of ourselves or kill conspicuously. And we don’t reveal ourselves to humans unless we intend to turn or kill them. There is a loophole though, more like a guideline than a rule. We can keep humans, either as an individual or a coven, but we assume responsibility for them and their actions. Any wrongdoings or bad behavior reflects on the vampire or vampires with the claim and they are punished for any of their human’s transgressions. Now, this period of keeping humans does have an expiration date, although that is subjective to the Volturi’s whims. It is still expected that the human will be killed or turned eventually.”

“When you said I was a liability…” Bella trailed off, remembering their first ‘conversation’ in the parking lot.

Rosalie nodded, “Since Edward left, he broke the law, as did the rest of my family. However, when Edward proposed we leave Forks, I went against the family’s decision and decided that I would be staying here to keep an eye on you. It’s a loose interpretation, but by doing so we haven’t technically broken any laws. Hopefully Aro will agree should he be made aware of the situation.”

“Wait… but does that mean you intend to… turn me?”

“I’m sorry, Bella. I wish there was another way. My hands are bound on this. We can keep the Volturi at bay, but eventually… Since the rest of the family technically abandoned you, they forfeited their right and it falls to me. If I don’t, the Volturi could very well exterminate me and the entire coven and they’d be within their right to do so. Vampire families have been killed for less. This was the final reason I was against you being accepted into the family, it ends with you dying. I didn’t think it was fair to you because it took away your decision. Even if you wanted to be turned, it was no longer solely your decision.” 

Bella sobered at that. She had always thought her turning was her decision but now she saw that her hand was forced one way or another. “Oh.”

Rosalie nodded slowly, “I’m sorry to lay all this on you, I just don’t believe you should be kept in the dark any longer. You deserve to know.”

“Yeah, thanks… I just… wow, that was a lot.”

“Okay, I think that was more than enough information for one day. I have a surprise for you.” 

“I hate surprises.” Bella deadpanned, slumping in her chair. The last time a Cullen tried to surprise her ended in disaster.

“You’ll love this one.”

“If I had a dollar for every time Alice said that…”

“Well, suck it up. I’m not Alice. Just, wait here, I’ll be right back.” Rosalie zipped off without another word.

Bella leaned back against her seat. She was mentally exhausted but he brain wouldn’t quit mulling over everything Rosalie had talked about in their ‘session.’ It was like her brain was an over saturated sponge but Rosalie kept dumping more information. Though she’d much prefer being over informed than under or misinformed.

She was grateful that Rosalie hadn’t pushed the matter and forced her to talk about herself, though she was feeling much more optimistic for future sessions. It wasn’t a total bust of an evening either, their talk needed to happen and she was glad it was Rosalie. She felt completely informed and she knew the blonde wasn’t one for secrets or half truths. For the first time since she met the Cullens, she finally felt like she was seeing the whole picture. Well, better late than never. 

She decided that it wouldn’t be that bad if she ended up having to be turned by Rosalie. Between the blonde or Edward, she much preferred the way things had turned out.

Rosalie’s phone vibrating caught her attention.

She knew she shouldn’t look. It was a violation of Rosalie’s privacy and a poor way to repay the blonde for her open honesty earlier, but she had a perverse curiosity. She leaned across the desk as the notification flashed across the front screen of Rosalie’s Razr flip phone. 

**[Alice Cullen: 17:23] ‘Don’t worry, it will turn out.’** A second incoming message alert lit up the screen before her eyes. 

**[Alice Cullen: 17:23] ‘It was always you.’**

Bella’s heart could have spontaneously combusted. She quickly resumed her position in her chair and just in the nick of time, as Rosalie swept into the room seconds later.

“Are you okay? Your heart is racing and you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Just nerves about your surprise.”

Rosalie clicked her tongue against her teeth “Bah, you’ll love it, I promise. Here.”

Bella looked skeptically at the blindfold held between pale fingers. “Seriously?”

“Indulge me just this once? I promise I won’t do anything like it again… unless you ask me. For future surprises of course.”

Bella rolled her eyes but snatched the silk scarf, wrapping it over her eyes. It smelled strongly of Rosalie’s perfume and scent. Okay, this wasn’t the _worst_ thing she’d had to endure. 

“Come on, I'll guide you.” Cool fingers took their places on her shoulders and she complied with the silent request to stand.

Uncomfortable as she was with being temporarily blind, she followed the vampire’s guidance without question, her body following gentle pushes and nudges before finally being pulled to a stop. She knew from memory and general spatial awareness that they were in the entry foyer. 

Slender fingers picked at the knot holding the scarf in place.

A soft gasp escaped her lips as the fabric was whisked away and she saw her surprise. 

Standing proudly in the center of the drive was her truck, looking brand new like it had just been driven off the lot back in 1963.

“Oh my god, I love it, Rose!” She turned around and wrapped her arms around Rosalie’s neck, pulling her in for a tight hug. 

Bella hurried to the truck, eager to see the fruits of their labor. Once they finished the engine rebuild, the vampire had the truck sent away for fresh paint. This was her first time seeing the completed project, not to mention the surprise additions, like the new chrome bumper and side paneling. She ran her hands reverently over the smooth frame - fire engine red per her request. She got in, appreciating the new upholstery and the pine scented air freshener that gave the truck a ‘new car smell.’ She was twisting the knobs on the dashboard when Rosalie got in the passenger side.

“I take it you like the changes I added?”

“It’s amazing! I can’t believe how good it looks all put together. Thank you so much! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all you did!”

“Your response is thanks enough. And don’t discredit yourself. You had a hand in the rebuild.”

“Still… it’s more than I was ever expecting. Can we take it for a ride?”

“Of course, I’d have been surprised if you didn’t want to. Besides, it can’t stay here forever. You can just drop me off at your house. I think I’ll go for a run tonight.” Bella just snorted and started up the engine. It ran like a dream. And she didn’t have to double pump the clutch anymore! The pair rode in silence as she steered the truck through downtown Forks, eager to show off.

“I like it, by the way.” Rosalie broke the silence when Bella pulled in front of her house.

“What?”

“I like that you call me Rose now. I’ll see you tomorrow, Bella.” A second later the blonde was out of the truck, disappearing into the night without a sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whewww... I really hate dialogue. I’ll be honest, I’m not completely satisfied with this but I hope that was okay. Since I am changing some things around, I thought it was a necessary evil... I hope Rose’s explanations made sense. Please let me know if you think anything needs further detail or isn’t sitting right.
> 
> Also, if you’re interested, we just switched into January 2006... which means that Motorola Razr was the shit back then! Sadly, I was never cool enough to have one. I’m not bitter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: so this scene just popped into my head and made itself at home, so naturally I had to include it. Get ready to scream a bit… but don’t worry, you’ll like it. I hope.

“Wow… I really didn’t think Colin had it in him. I mean, didn’t he just grow out of the bed-wetting phase last year? He’s got balls for trying, I’ll give him that.” Lauren snipped. The head cheerleader leaned back in her chair, flipped her platinum blonde ponytail over her shoulder, and waited for the inevitable shit show to unfold. 

“Balls and a death wish.” Mike commented sarcastically before stretching his arms, casually draping one around Jessica’s shoulders. 

“What is that, like the fourth one today?” Jessica hummed, leaning back against Mike and sipping on her Pepsi. 

“Mm… fifth, I think. Don’t forget Zachary Taylor this morning before the first period bell.” Lauren responded quickly. She looked way too eager for the impending drama; her hazel-green eyes twinkling for all the wrong reasons. 

Bella rolled her eyes and tuned out the rest of her table mates’ comments. She hated the days when Lauren ate with them. The girl brought out the worst in her friends; fueling the flames and turning them from intelligent and caring people into vindictive, almost cruel gossip mongers. 

She knew that the pettiness was born out of jealousy - or rejection in Mike’s case - but it didn’t change the fact that it still was immature and childish. She wished Angela or Eric were there so she had someone to sit with since both seemed to be immune to Lauren’s influence. Unfortunately, Angela was rushing to meet a tight deadline for the school paper and Eric had a dance committee meeting or something.

Why they tolerated the toxic girl was beyond her. She also knew she wasn’t blameless in this situation, she could leave or put her foot down. As it was, she was too distracted at the moment to care. Her attention was locked on the lanky sophomore - Colin - nervously running his hand through his shaggy brown hair. 

Even with her weak human eyesight, she could tell the boy was shaking from head to toe as he marched across the crowded cafeteria. Seconds later he came to a halt in front of the table in the corner, puffing himself up with false bravado as he addressed the table’s sole occupant. 

From her position, she could see Rosalie’s mouth moving, responding to whatever the boy had said, and she half-wished that she had perfect vampiric hearing so she could eavesdrop. Luckily, she didn’t need to hear to get a sense of what was happening; Rosalie’s expression spoke volumes - golden eyes flashed dangerously, her face cold and unforgiving. 

She didn’t even feel bad for the kid as he turned tail and ran back to his table in tears.  _ ‘Will they ever learn?’ _

She had watched this same scene play itself out way too many times over the past few days, ever since the Valentine’s Day dance was announced. So far Rosalie was up to 22 - now 23 - hopeful suitors in four days. Not that she was counting, of course. 

It seemed that without her family as a buffer, the boys of Forks High had declared open season on one Rosalie Hale.

Bella had to admit, it was kind of funny at first, especially when Rosalie shot Mike down in a very public display that involved him running away cupping his crotch. She learned later on that Rosalie hadn’t actually done anything other than threaten him. He was just being dramatic and taking precautions in case she decided to make good on her threats. 

Now it was becoming ridiculous. 

The dance was just over a week away and desperation was at an all time high. Each day more boys lined up to try their luck with the blonde. Each day they were sent packing.

Despite knowing that Rosalie would not accept any offer from a human, watching each attempt made Bella’s stomach churn with a myriad of emotions - namely jealousy, annoyance, and anxiety. Part of her didn’t want to look. It wasn’t her business and fretting over it wouldn’t change the outcome. The other, more dominant part  _ had  _ to know. She needed the reassurance and validation of witnessing the rejection take place, otherwise the uncertainty would eat her alive. And so she watched, each time holding her breath and praying that Rose said no.

She knew it was illogical, but there was always a little sliver of doubt niggling at the back of her mind. Just because Rosalie  _ wouldn’t accept  _ didn’t mean she  _ couldn’t accept _ . Her own petty streak rejoiced after each rejection and she allowed herself to breathe a little easier. At least until the next love struck fool decided he thought he had a shot.

Her thoughts darkened as doubt reared its ugly head. 

What if Rosalie suddenly threw all caution to the wind and actually said yes to one of them? The thought of Rosalie on someone else’s arm made her stomach turn sour. She didn’t know what she would do if that moment came to pass.

She also knew that it shouldn’t bother her as much as it did. She might be ‘Rosalie’s human’ - a concept she was still trying to come to grips with for a number of reasons - but otherwise they were just friends. Rosalie was a free, unattached woman and could do as she pleased. 

Still, she couldn’t help herself.

Ever since she saw Alice’s messages - which she still felt guilty about - her feelings were all over the place. Luckily she had managed not to be a bumbling idiot too much in their therapy sessions, sticking to safe, Bella-approved topics. So far they’d talked through the whole James debacle and touched on the birthday fiasco. They had yet to dive into ‘the Edward topic.’ 

However, Bella had spent many long hours mulling over what Alice could have possibly meant in the privacy of her bedroom. 

The message had been infuriatingly vague and taken out of context. It was always Rose… what? What exactly had Alice seen? There were so many ways to interpret the message and it was slowly driving her crazy. Unfortunately, she had no way of knowing since she couldn’t exactly ask Alice or Rosalie for clarification. 

Her heart foolishly - and selfishly - hoped that maybe Alice meant they were meant to be something more than just friends. That maybe, just maybe, Rosalie might have feelings back. Bella knew that was just wishful thinking, as the blonde hadn’t given her any indication that she wanted anything other than friendship. To be fair, she hadn’t been forthcoming about her steadily growing feelings either. 

Still, a tiny glimmer of hope settled in her chest and refused to be moved. 

“And another one bites the dust!” Mike announced loudly in a mocking tone; his smugness masking his insecurity over his own rejection. 

Bella wanted to smack him and call him out for being a prick but decided against it, distracting herself by aggressively stabbing a grape with her fork. She knew from experience that if she made any comment about Rosalie, either directly or implied, then Jessica would get back on her ‘Rosalie and Bella are secretly dating’ soapbox. The brunette had been damn near unbearable when Bella showed up with her ‘brand new’ truck. With everything going on, she was in no mood to deal with either of them at the moment and remained silent. 

She jumped slightly in her seat when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She subtly checked her screen under the table to avoid prying eyes. Thankfully, the others were too distracted in their own world to notice, but she wasn’t about to take any chances. When trying to fly under the radar, fortune favored the cautious. 

**[Rose: 12:42] ‘You’re enjoying this way too much.’**

Bella stifled a laugh before quickly responding.

**[Bella:12:42]** ‘ **You seemed to handle it just fine.’**

**[Rose: 12:42] ‘Seriously? You’re still holding that over me?’**

**[Bella: 12:42]** **‘Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?’**

**[Rose: 12:42] ‘I hate you.’**

Bella looked up and sought out Rosalie’s gaze across the lunchroom. She quickly stuck out her tongue before anyone saw.

**[Rose: 12:43] ‘Charming.’**

**[Bella: 12:43] ‘Why thank you. What was it this time?’**

**[Rose: 12:43] ‘Shakespeare. I swear that I am going to throw the next moron who uses “a rose by any other name” as a pick up line through the window.’**

**[Bella: 12:43] ‘I don’t doubt that you could but that doesn’t seem like your style. That’s definitely more Emmett’s MO.’**

**[Rose: 12:44] ‘Whatever. Are you coming over later? I need to install new side panels on the Hyundai, and I could use an extra set of hands.’**

Bella just nodded her assent, knowing the vampire could see the subtle movement, and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She wasn’t sure when they had started texting so frequently, but she was so glad they had. Each incoming message made her heart flutter.

She leaned back in her chair with a goofy smile, riding her post-texting high.

“Oh look, another one!” Jessica chirped as a dark-haired boy Bella didn’t recognize began his slow approach. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake! That’s it!” Bella exclaimed as she smacked her hand down hard on the table, making everyone jump in shock. Her frustration and jealousy had reached an all time high while her patience hit rock bottom. The dangerous combination kicked her brain into ‘fuck it’ mode and her body moved without fully registering what she was doing.

She wasn’t aware of the fact that every eye in the cafeteria was locked on her as she loudly shoved away from the table, toppling her chair behind her. She didn’t hear Lauren’s snide “Swan’s actually lost it,” or Mike’s concerned “What the hell is she doing?” while the rest of the cafeteria didn’t dare make a peep. 

She was a woman on a mission; there was no thinking, just doing. 

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a very bewildered vampire.

“Rosalie Hale, would you like to go to the dance with me?” She rushed out, breathing hard from a combination of adrenaline and physical effort.

Rosalie sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest, eyes narrowing as she fixed the brunette with her signature glare. 

“I don’t want a pity invitation. I can handle these idiots, so if the only reason - ” 

“It’s not a pity invite!” Bella interrupted, still hyped up on nerves, “I wouldn’t insult you like that. I really want to go with you.” Bella’s head dipped slightly under the heated gaze, but her resolve remained firm. She had forgotten how terrifying it was to be on the receiving end of Rosalie’s temper.

Golden eyes softened slightly as she studied the brunette's features, searching for any hint of deception. The tense silence was agonizing and each second felt like a lifetime ticking by.

“I accept your offer. We can discuss clothing options tonight.” Without another word, the tall blonde stood and swept past her, leaving Bella to stare after her in stunned silence. 

Bella’s heart was racing, the fog over her brain had lifted enough for her to be keenly aware of the situation she found herself in and she was doing her best not to outwardly panic. 

_ ‘Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit! What do I do?’  _

Her mind raced. How had this happened? It was a disaster! She couldn’t exactly rescind the offer now that it was out there and the entire student population bearing witness. 

Hundreds of pairs of eyes were still watching her, waiting for her to move, but she remained rooted to the spot. 

The warning bell was her saving grace. At least it got the other students moving or distracted enough for her to collect herself without the pressure of everyone watching her. She rushed to her table, ignoring her friends who were still staring after her open-mouthed, grabbed her pack, and headed for the door. She could still hear Jessica was chanting ‘I knew it, I knew it!’ like a mantra as she attempted to blend into the chaos of everyone scrambling to get to class.

“Bells, you home?” Charlie called out as he kicked off his boots in the entryway and shrugged off his coat, tossing it over the back of his recliner. 

“In the kitchen, Dad!” Bella called back, doing her best to sound casual. 

She had spent the afternoon making enchiladas and pacing a hole in the kitchen floor, dreading the conversation she needed to have with her dad. She wanted to tell her dad about what had happened at school. He deserved to hear it from her - though it was possible someone had already mentioned it to him. Word traveled fast in a small town. Especially juicy gossip about the Chief’s daughter asking another girl (and a Cullen to boot) to a school dance.

By the end of the school day the halls buzzed with hushed whispers and surreptitious looks that ceased when she walked by, only to resume when she was out of range. She had been congratulated by at least a dozen boys, all of whom she sent packing with a sharp reprimand for their lack of respect. She probably would have been stopped by more if she had lingered after classes ended, but she was out the door as soon as the final bell rang, mostly to avoid Jessica. Even without the excuse of dodging her friend, she would have beat a hasty exit, as she had also received twice as many jealous glares (mostly from Rosalie’s spurned admirers).

“Hey, kiddo! Mmm, smells good!” Charlie came in a moment later, untucking his work shirt as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. If he had heard anything, he sure wasn’t showing it. “How was your day?”

“It was ok… Dad, can we talk?”

“Sure, Bells, what’s up?” He took his usual seat and cracked his drink, continuing with his post-work routine. 

“IhaveacrushonRosalieHale!” Bella blurted out without pause between her words. Not exactly the gentle delivery she had imagined… she had definitely envisioned that going differently.

“Whoa, whoa, slow down there.”

Bella closed her eyes and looked up at the ceiling for a moment before looking back at her father. “I think - no, I know - I have a crush on Rosalie Hale and I kinda asked her to the school dance… maybe as a date? I don’t know. I didn’t mean to, well, I wanted to, but I wasn’t planning on it. I don’t know what came over me! One moment I was at my table and the next I was asking her. And the whole school saw!”

Charlie tilted his head, “Really? Is that what you’re all bent up about? I thought you two had been an item for a while now but you didn’t tell me because you were worried that I wouldn’t approve because of your history with her brother.”

Bella’s jaw dropped, completely floored by Charlie’s response. “I… What? Really? You thought we were dating?”

“Well, yeah. I thought it was pretty obvious. You’re always up there spending time with her. Not to mention the trip to Portland. And that she completely rebuilt the truck. I know she put a lot more into it than she let on with me, but she was very insistent when I tried to pay her back.”

Bella stared, completely lost for words.  _ ‘How had Charlie noticed? The man had the same social awareness of a brick wall!’ _

Charlie continued when she didn’t respond. “I didn’t say anything because you’re an adult and well, I figured you’d tell me if you wanted to.” 

“So… You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad? You’re happy and that means the world to me.”

“She’s a girl…”

“And? I might be old school but I’d like to think I have an open mind about things.”

Bella rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him, pouring her feelings into the hug.

“I love you, Dad.” 

“Love you, too, Bells.”

The Swans hugged for a few more seconds before Bella released her grip, wiping away the mist in her eyes. She sat down in the chair opposite her dad, feeling more relaxed and at ease. 

“So tell me about this big date.” Charlie grinned, taking a big swig of his beer. “What’s the plan?”

“Dad, we’re talking girls?”

“Sure, why not? Stranger things have happened and I’ll have you know, I was quite the charmer when I was your age. I could give you some pointers.”

“Oh, God… I’ll pass, thanks.”

“Fine, I won’t embarrass ya. Anyway, I think it’s overdue. I mean, I don’t want details and your door is staying open if she comes over, but I want to be more present for you. I feel like I leave you alone too much with all the overtime I’ve had to put in this last year. It’s crazy, it used to be really quiet and safe around here, I swear.”

“I don’t mind being alone… but it’d be nice to talk every now and then. Renée wasn’t so great at that.” Apparently Rosalie’s sessions had made her more willing to open up about things. “OK, well, I don’t know if it’s a  _ date _ date or just hanging out. We haven’t really talked about feelings and stuff. I don’t even know if she likes me back. I just kinda realized it myself. You’re sure you approve?” 

“Well, it’s not my business and you don’t need my approval. But if you want my opinion, I’m truly good with it. I want the best for you and she treats you well. Regardless if she sees you as a friend or maybe something more, it’s clear she actually respects you, unlike that brother of hers. When you were with him, you were obsessed, mindless, and passive. I know it was your first relationship, but it wasn’t healthy. I regret not talking to you about it back then.”

“Yeah… well at least I learned from it.” Bella stared down at an interesting stain on the table.

“Don’t beat yourself up, kiddo. We all make mistakes. I like Rosalie. She’s a good kid, very respectful. But more than that, she’s good for you. She brought out the Bella I remember; the little scrapper who stood up for herself and what she thought was right.”

“Yeah. I feel like myself when I’m with her. Even when we disagree, she listens to me and takes my opinions into account. I didn’t understand her at first, but she’s really nice, funny, and thoughtful, she just shows it differently. I just don’t want to mess up our friendship if she doesn’t want more.”

“From what I’ve seen, she’s pretty mature. I’m sure she will understand either way. Even if she doesn’t return your feelings, I’m sure you two will work it out and look back on it years down the road and laugh. But sometimes you gotta take a chance.”

They sat in comfortable silence after that, Bella mulling over Charlie’s surprisingly sound advice and Charlie drinking his beer and likely recovering from having spoken so much in one sitting.

The kitchen timer chimed and Bella got up to pull their dinner out of the oven. 

“I was going to go help her with her cars after dinner, is that cool?”

“You know the drill. As long as you get your homework done and keep up your grades, you can do what you want. Talk to her and clear the air. Otherwise it’s going to cause problems. Your mom and I never really talked and a lot of stuff went unsaid and… well, you know how that went.”

“Yeah, I will, Dad. Thanks for listening and being great about it.” Bella grabbed a spatula and started to scoop portions on their plates. She was glad they talked but she was equally grateful for the distraction. “How many enchiladas do you want?”

“Can you please hand me the 2-inch adjustable spanner wrench?” 

Bella quickly complied, retrieving the tool from the black toolbox and setting it in the pale palm that had appeared from underneath the Hyundai Sonata. Job complete, she sat back down on her stool, staring blankly at the wall. 

Charlie’s words haunted her, echoing loudly in her mind. Despite his advice about talking with Rosalie, she hadn’t really had the opportunity that evening and Rose hadn’t brought it up either. Not that she expected the vampire to know what was bothering her. Rose wasn’t a mind reader, after all. 

Bella briefly wondered if the vampire had a gift. She knew that not every vampire had one and Rose hadn’t mentioned it yet, but that didn’t mean anything. The vampire had shared some information about herself during their sessions, but Rose had yet to really open up and tell her anything substantial. She figured that Rosalie just needed time. Until then, she wouldn’t pry or push Rosalie to talk before she was ready, especially since the blonde had been so patient with her. It was the least she could do and they had time. Rose literally wasn’t going anywhere. She couldn’t. 

As much of a relief as it had been to find out she couldn’t be abandoned again, Bella felt a pang of guilt. Because of her naivete, Rosalie was bound to her by some archaic vampiric law. She was essentially Rose’s responsibility, at least until she turned her. It seemed that despite her recent hesitation, Alice’s vision about her being a vampire one day was going to play out after all, since it wasn’t solely her decision anymore. 

She had been mad at first, but now that she’d had a few weeks to come to terms with it, she was finally at peace with her impending changing. It would be difficult to leave Charlie, even Renée to a degree, but it was for the best. She wouldn’t endanger the ones she loved. 

And she had to admit, the prospect of having time to do what she wanted and experience the world was pretty exciting. She had so many plans for once she got through the decade or so of her newborn bloodlust craze. She wasn’t looking forward to  _ that _ . But it wouldn’t last forever and Rosalie told her she would be there every step of the way. 

She just hoped that Charlie was right and things wouldn’t change between them when Rosalie found out about her crush. Maybe she would leave the crush convo for a different day, there were more pressing matters at hand that needed addressing. 

_ ‘Well, might as well rip off the BandAid and just go for it.’  _ She took a big breath.

“Hey, Rose… can we talk?” 

Rosalie immediately appeared from underneath the car, sliding out on her creeper. Bella stifled a laugh, the girl had a giant black smudge over her forehead and down her cheek. She looked absolutely perfect. 

“Of course, Bella. What’s on your mind?”

Despite their weekly sessions and the progress she had made with opening up, she still found herself struggling every now and then. 

“So, I thought we should talk about, you know… I asked you to the dance and well…”

“Are you regretting it?” 

“What? No! I just… I don’t want things to change between us, you know? I mean, I don’t want to jeopardize our friendship! I don’t even know if you actually wanted to go. Maybe you were just turning down all those guys because you didn’t want to be there! I mean, you could have just been trying to help me save face and not embarrass me in front of everyone… Do you even like dancing?” Word vomit started tumbling out of Bella’s mouth and she was powerless to stop herself. She really needed to work on her delivery. 

“And I feel bad that you’ll be stuck with me all night, I’m a pretty lousy dancer. At prom Edward told me I had two left feet, and I guess he wasn’t wrong…”

“Bella, please slow down and take a breath so you don’t pass out from oxygen deprivation.”

Bella nodded and physically clamped her hand over her mouth to shut herself up.

“First. You were in a cast at prom.” Rosalie pointed out. “Besides, as clumsy as you can be, it’s more of a reflection on him as a lead. Once again he projected his shortcomings on you to make himself feel better about his own insecurities. As far as the rest is concerned. I love dancing, I wouldn’t have accepted if I didn’t want to go, and it’s okay, friends can go to a dance together. Others might - and probably will - read more into it. You’ll soon learn that the opinions of mortals are inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. They’ll be dead in a few decades so who cares? Does that put your mind at ease?”

Bella nodded emphatically, “Yeah, I just didn’t want you to feel obligated or anything because of like, me being claimed and all that.”

“I assure you, Bella, no one makes me do anything I don’t want to do.”

“Yeah, I know.” Bella gave a sheepish smile. 

“Good. Now, about our attire for the evening, did you have anything in mind? A color scheme? Since people are going to talk, we might as well give them something to really talk about, hmm?”

“Oh… uh, I hadn’t really thought that far out, I was kinda caught up on well, just the us going part.” Bella rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, I’m not super fancy, so if you have any ideas, I’ll just go with it. I trust you when it comes to picking outfits. Alice, not so much. I just don’t want to wear a dress and heels.”

Rosalie hummed, “Well, if you’re okay with me taking the reins, I think I can come up with something.”

“I’m sure you will. Just don’t make me look stupid.”

Rosalie scoffed under her breath. “Insulting me when your fashion future lies in the balance is not a wise decision.”

“Oh my apologies, oh illustrious one. Please forgive me! I am but a humble human.” Bella pretended to bow in Rosalie’s direction.

“That’s what I thought!” Rosalie played along, straightening her posture and preening under the praise. “Come on, I’m ready to attach those side panels now.”


	9. Chapter 9

**[Rose: 3:45pm] ‘I hope you like what I picked for you. I have a backup outfit if you’d prefer something else, but I have it on good authority that you will look positively dashing in it.’**

Bella quickly glanced down at her phone screen before her eyes flicked back to the open garment bag hanging on the back of her door.

When she had told Rose she didn’t want to wear a dress and heels, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it wasn’t this. 

She had been staring wide-eyed at the contents of the garment bag ever since she found it hanging in her room after school, and probably would have continued to do so if not for Rosalie’s incoming text to snap her out of her shock. Even with the distraction of her buzzing phone, she couldn’t tear her eyes away for more than a few seconds.

The outfit was like nothing she had ever seen before; probably custom designed and skillfully tailored, as was standard practice with the Cullens. 

A black jacket with dark red trim along the lapels hung neatly on its hanger over a crisp white Oxford. Starched black dress pants hung on a secondary hanger. The accessories - a thin red tie and matching handkerchief for the breast pocket - were carefully folded in a small pouch clipped to the outside of the bag. 

It wasn’t something she would have picked out for herself if left to her own devices, but now that she had seen it, she couldn’t imagine wearing anything else.

It was everything she hadn’t realized she wanted. It was classy. It was bold. It was powerful. It was a perfect mix of masculine and feminine. It was  _ her _ .

She loved it.

She stared at the outfit for a few more minutes, running her fingertips along the expensive fabric, before remembering that she needed to reply. 

**[Bella: 3:47pm] ‘It’s great! I’ll pick you up at seven.’**

As with every other time they texted, Bella’s heart fluttered in her chest, though this time the organ was working overtime. After a week of building anticipation, it was actually happening. She had a date with Rosalie Hale. 

_ ‘It’s not a date,’ _ she quickly reminded herself.  _ ‘Rose said friends could go to dances together.’ _

Still, she would take what she could get and was determined to make this the best date - not date ever.

Three hours later, Bella found herself rocking on the balls of her feet as she waited for Rosalie to answer the door. She knew that the vampire had probably heard her coming from miles away, but she appreciated that the blonde wasn’t already waiting at the door like the other Cullens tended to do when she visited. 

It was nice to have the illusion of surprise for a change. Awkwardly waiting on the porch for your not-date to arrive while your stomach did somersaults was part of the not-date experience. 

She clutched the plastic box containing a red rose corsage in one hand and fidgeted with her tie with the other. She had opted to leave the top buttons of her shirt undone with the tie loosely knotted around her neck. She didn’t want to come off as stuffy but leaving it draped and untied around her neck seemed too informal. This seemed like a good happy medium at the time. 

Now that she was here, she was second guessing her choice, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. It had taken her a solid 15 minutes just to figure out how to tie the damn thing in the first place. 

Charlie was absolutely no help, of course. The man had regarded the thin strip of fabric as if it was a venomous snake poised to bite him. 

She comforted her restless mind by reasoning that if Rosalie preferred the tie tighter along the collar, the vampire would just fix it to her liking. 

With the issue of the tie resolved, her brain switched gears and started fretting about her hair. After attempting to style it in different configurations, she had opted to leave it down in her natural waves. She liked the way her hair looked when pulled over her shoulder, and it fit with her desired messy-formal effect. Hopefully Rosalie agreed. 

Bella’s breath hitched in her throat as she heard the rhythmic clicking of heels descending the stairs. Each sound sent a pulse of excitement coursing through her veins. Her body was thrumming with energy and anticipation. If she was in a more present state of mind, she might have wondered what Rosalie thought of her erratic heartbeat. As it was, she was too hyper focused on reminding herself to breathe to care. 

By the time the sound stopped on the other side of the door, she was tighter than a drum ready to burst. She took a deep breath and tried to play it cool, even though she knew she wasn’t fooling anyone. She shifted her weight one last time, instinctively straightening her posture, as the doorknob turned.

Her eyes widened and her mouth ran dry when the door opened to reveal the woman standing on the other side; a soft gasp escaping without her realizing it. Her tongue subconsciously darted out in a futile attempt to wet her lips as she drank in the sight of the blonde goddess standing before her. 

Rosalie had gone with a simple yet elegant satin evening dress - deep red to match Bella’s suit and tie, of course - with off the shoulder straps and a modest neckline that simultaneously showed off her smooth pale skin but also left much to the imagination. The silky fabric clung to Rose’s lithe form as it cascaded to the ground in deep crimson waves. 

The solid red was accented by rich black gloves that rose to her elbows and black heels peeking out from under the hem of the dress.

Long blonde locks were arranged in a tasteful updo: a rope braid circled her head like a crown while the rest of her hair was set in large curls that had been pulled over her left shoulder. The vampire had gone with simple makeup for the evening. Smoky shadows brought out the gold in her eyes while her lips were colored the most appealing shade of red. 

Bella almost passed out when Rosalie shifted her stance and the dress moved, revealing a long slit that rose to mid-thigh. It was surely against dress code but Bella couldn’t have cared less. 

She was torn; conflicted as to where she should look. Brown eyes darted indecisively. While she wanted to take in everything about Rosalie’s appearance, those damn perfect lips kept drawing her in like a moth to a flame. She wanted to know if they felt as soft as they looked. 

_ ‘Get it together, woman!’ _ She chided herself, though the voice in her head fell on deaf ears. 

Bella knew that she was blatantly staring but she couldn’t be bothered to feel guilty about it, as she was receiving the same treatment in return. It made her ego swell to have rendered Rosalie speechless. 

Both women stared at one another while the minutes slipped by unnoticed. 

“You look beautiful, Rose.” Bella eventually managed, her voice had taken on a slightly husky tone as her throat recovered from its previous dryness. She internally celebrated for not stuttering or stumbling over her words like she normally did when nervous. 

Rosalie smiled and dipped her head slightly. Shy was not a word often used to describe the normally poised and confident woman, but Bella had to admit, it was adorable. She imagined Rosalie would be blushing if she could. 

“You look quite dapper, yourself. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about the suit.” The vampire quickly composed herself once more, slipping back into her regal posture. 

Bella smiled and looked down at her jacket. “I like it a lot, actually. It was a shock at first but I certainly feel more comfortable than I would have in a dress. And the shoes are a nice touch.” She grinned down at the brand new pair of black Converse. It was touching that Rosalie paid such close attention and bothered to incorporate her preferred aesthetic into the otherwise formal look. 

“I figured you wouldn’t mind. Besides, we’re going to be moving quite a bit and I thought you could use all the help you could get to stay on your feet. Dress shoes can be rather cumbersome if you’re not used to wearing them.”

“That’s a fair point,” Bella admitted with a wry chuckle. “I’m not going to ask how you got my measurements to make it fit so well.”

Ruby red lips pulled into a teasing smile, “You seem to forget I have a psychic as a sister.”

Bella chuckled awkwardly and muttered a quiet ‘Oh, right’ under her breath. She reached up to rub the back of her neck out of nervous habit and was reminded that her hands were occupied. 

“Oh, this is for you!” She looked down at the flower arrangement in her hands, thrusting it forward into the space between them.

“It is customary for one to put it on the intended recipient.” Rosalie’s smirk grew as Bella fumbled with the plastic container. 

“I… wasn’t sure where you’d want it so I got one that’s versatile. It might look nice in your hair?”

Rosalie nodded her agreement and dipped her head for easier access while Bella attempted to weave it into the braided area above Rosalie’s ear. 

She marveled at how soft and silky Rosalie’s hair was, and she wanted nothing more than to stand there and thread her fingers through the thick golden strands. She knew that she shouldn’t have been surprised by this. Vampires were the embodiment of perfection and Rose was a goddess among immortals. 

Bella hastily completed her task, then took a step back to inspect her handiwork. “You look perfect.”

“Of course I do. I’m a vampire; it’s practically a job requirement.” Rosalie deadpanned. 

“Right up there with humility.” 

“You’ll understand soon enough. I think you’ll make for a stunning immortal. You might even rival me for looks.” 

“I… errr… That’s not… I don’t think that’s possible.” Bella’s face burned at the unexpected compliment. She inwardly cursed at how quickly Rosalie could render her into a bumbling mess. 

Rosalie graciously overlooked the stammering and continued. “Speaking of which, do you have a preference on when?”

“I was thinking this summer, maybe even fall. I haven’t decided which, all I know is I want it to happen after graduation. I don’t have much of a bucket list of things to do while still human but finishing high school is top of the list.” Bella breathed easier now that the conversation had returned to safer waters. “I was planning on taking a year off to travel a bit, so I don’t have a strict timeline. I guess that worked out pretty well, all things considered. It will be relatively easy to stage some sort of accident. I think it will be easier on Charlie that way, too.”

“If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do. But until then, I do believe we have somewhere to be?”

“Oh shit, right!” Bella checked her phone. It was already past 7:30. Apparently they had stared at one another for longer than she realized. 

“Don’t worry about the time. Anyone who is anyone knows it’s best to show up fashionably late.”

Bella nodded before turning to face her not-date, bowing dramatically to Rose and speaking in a horribly butchered Southern accent. She had no idea why her brain went with Gone With the Wind but she decided to roll with it. 

“Well, m’darlin’, shall we?” She held out her arm at a stiff 90 degree angle like she’d seen in the old movie. 

“Well, I do declare!!” Rosalie smiled and slipped into character without missing a beat, dramatically placing a hand over her unbeating heart in feigned surprise. A moment later she accepted the proffered arm, carefully looping hers around Bella’s so that her silk-clad hand rested flat atop the human’s. 

Bella stifled her giggle as she very dutifully escorted Rose to the truck, holding the door open for her. Surely the vampire would appreciate the gesture, right? At least she didn’t protest walking at human speed.

She hurried to the driver’s side while Rose got herself settled, and started up the truck. She still couldn’t get over how great it ran after the rebuild. She made a quick note that she needed to go by the Rez to show it off. She hadn’t seen or talked to Jake since that night at Port Angeles, so a visit was overdue. Plus she had promised Quil and Embry that she would stop by. But that could wait.

She took a deep breath as she shifted into gear and headed for town.

So far, so good. Now she just had to survive the dance itself. 

The school gym looked like Cupid ate Walmart’s supply of decorations and then threw up all over the place. Pink, red, and white paper streamers dangled from every available inch of the ceiling. Paper hearts of all sizes were taped to the walls. Hundreds of balloons swirled around the room from being kicked or thrown. Every now and then the music was punctuated by the loud pop of a balloon dying. 

Bella did not envy the poor custodians who’d have to clean up this mess. 

The overhead lights had been turned off for the evening, the fluorescent glare replaced by long strands of twinkle lights, and red-colored up-lighting along the walls. Strobe lights reflected off of an oversized sparkling ball rotating overhead, casting thousands of tiny rainbows around the space. It reminded Bella of vampire skin. Probably best to keep that observation to herself; she doubted Rosalie would appreciate being compared to a disco ball.

For being such a small school, they really went all out on these dances. 

It seemed that their arrival was the anticipated event of the evening, as all heads turned in their direction as soon as Bella and Rosalie entered the dance. Despite the obnoxious beat of ‘Candy Shop’ - the dubbed over, ‘school appropriate’ version, of course - the room was eerily silent. 

Heads craned at odd angles, either to get a better look or to whisper something in their neighbor’s ear. Even her and Edward’s arrival at Prom last year hadn’t merited such a reaction from the nosy student body. 

The sudden attention had Bella freezing in her tracks. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Everyone would be watching and she didn’t want to make a fool of herself. Her version of ‘dancing’ was more along the lines of flailing her body in an attempt to not fall over. 

A cool, gloved hand slipped into hers, giving her a quick reassuring squeeze. 

Bella briefly looked down at their interlaced fingers before gazing up at Rosalie with a raised eyebrow. 

“Let them talk.” Rosalie whispered, answering her unspoken question. “Don’t even look at them, they don’t matter. It’s just you and me tonight.”

“Yeah. Yeah you’re right. You and me.” Bella straightened her back, drawing strength from the woman still holding her hand. In an instant her confidence returned and she felt like she could take on the would. How long that would last once she started dancing like an electrified octopus remained to be seen, but for the moment she was walking on clouds. 

The vampire gave her a small smile before leading her out toward the dance floor. 

The other students parted as the two girls made their way to the center of the gym, directly below the disco ball. 

“Don’t worry if you step on my foot, I promise it doesn’t hurt.” Rose teased and Bella simply rolled her eyes. 

_ ‘You can do this, Swan. It’s just you and Rose.’ _ She internally coached herself, mentally preparing for what was to come. She wasn’t sure what style dance the vampire was expecting of her, but somehow bumping and grinding didn’t quite fit the bill. 

She stood there awkwardly, fidgeting with her jacket sleeve while trying to decide her next move. Should she put her hands on Rosalie’s shoulders or… 

Bella’s heart nearly stopped when Rosalie took control and put a hand on her lower back, the other holding her own. The position had them standing much closer than she expected, close enough for her to feel the cool chill radiating off the vampire’s skin. As the new song started, she had a split second to realize that Rosalie’s hands were in the lead position before she found herself twirling about. 

She was not at all surprised by the blonde’s dancing ability; the strong, fluid movements and well practiced steps were exactly what she had expected. The real shock was  _ her _ own movements. Historically, the words ‘Bella Swan’ and ‘graceful’ or ‘coordinated’ were almost never found in a sentence together unless ‘not’ was thrown in somewhere. But here she was, keeping pace with her dance partner like it was second nature. 

She was amazed at how seamlessly they moved together, though she credited most of that to her leading partner. It was easy to give Rosalie her full trust and follow the silent instructions. A gentle tug of a hand let her know which direction they’d be spinning in next. A subtle pressure on her hip to tell her to step back. It was a delicate balance; a synchronized give and take. When Rosalie would push, Bells would pull. And all the while, brown eyes never wavered from deep gold. 

She was lost in their own little world. She was vaguely aware of the fact that others had resumed their own dancing but they still had a large circle around them, as no other students seemed willing to get any closer than six feet away. 

Despite the previous stares, no one dared interrupt them. This suited Bella just fine. She didn’t feel like dealing with anyone else and she certainly didn’t feel like sharing her dance partner. 

Luckily, Rosalie seemed to be of similar mind and showed no intention of letting her go. 

She completely loosened up after a few songs and she had to admit, she was having a blast. She spun, twirled, and glided in tandem with Rose, dancing to styles she had never tried or even knew existed. It seemed that everything was fair game in Rosalie’s playbook, though she seemed to favor swing, but a tango was thrown in on occasion. She didn’t even know you could dance this way to the upbeat pop songs blaring out of the speakers but somehow it worked. 

Time lost all meaning and before she knew it, the DJ was announcing that there was only one song left. 

Bella felt a sharp stab of disappointment at the news; another first. Before this night, she would have been counting down the seconds until she could get  _ away _ from dancing. Now she found herself wishing for the night to last forever.   


Granted, her only prior experience was prom last year, and she’d lasted a grand total of 45 seconds before asking Edward to leave. Honestly she hadn’t even wanted to go but Edward had been so insistent that she experience ‘such an important rite of passage’ and wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

Come to think of it, had he even asked her or just told her they were going? It didn’t matter. 

Bella’s brows furrowed deeply when the final song came on. Predictably, it was a slow song, but as the opening chords played it wasn’t at all what she would have expected. The instrumental accompaniment was a stark contrast to upbeat pop songs and made it feel very out of place, but it was a refreshing and welcomed change of pace.

_ ‘Wise men say _

_ Only fools rush in’ _

She recognized the song instantly once the lyrics began; ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ was a timeless classic. 

Elvis Presley’s crooning voice drifted around her as Rosalie held her tight, slowly spinning them in time with the beat. Her hands clasped behind Rosalie’s neck while cold hands settled on her waist. While their bodies weren’t touching, they were definitely breaking the ‘six inches of separation’ rule, but no teacher bothered them.

As the song progressed, she fell deeper under the spell of the moment. It was as if she was hypnotized by the golden eyes before her and everyone around them faded away into the background.

She stared up into Rosalie’s intense gaze, trying to decipher the emotions swirling in those ocher depths. The vampire seemed conflicted about something. Bella wondered what was on the other girl’s mind but she held her tongue, figuring that she wouldn’t get answers any time soon. Plus, she didn’t want to ruin the moment by talking. 

_ ‘Take my hand _

_ Take my whole life too _

_ For I can't help falling in love with you’ _

She held her breath as Rosalie’s eyes darkened as the final notes of the song faded away. She was captivated - time and space lost all meaning - she couldn’t look away even if she wanted to. If she looked away, she might miss something. She wasn’t willing to take that risk. 

Slowly, ever so slowly, the vampire dipped her head, leaving her plenty of time to pull away. 

_ ‘Oh, God…’  _ Bella’s brain was simultaneously running haywire and completely blank when she realized Rosalie’s intentions. Her heart thundered in her chest as the blonde closed the distance between them. She didn’t dare breathe.

It was agonizingly slow, but Bella didn’t want to rush the moment. The last thing she wanted to do was to spook her. She tilted her chin, silently communicating her consent, but otherwise she’d let Rose come to her at her own pace. 

Their faces were mere inches apart when her eyes instinctively slipped shut. She could feel Rosalie’s cool breath tickling her skin, her own caught in her throat. Even though she couldn’t see it, she knew that Rosalie’s lips were ghosting over her own, the space between them charged with energy. Her lips buzzed in anticipation. 

She tilted her chin a little higher, trying to capture the kiss. 

She wanted it.

She needed it. 

Just a second more…

“Alright, alright, alright you little lovebirds! That was the last song, party’s over! You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here! DJ Turbo, out!”

Seconds later the overhead lights were turned on without warning, blinding everyone. 

Bella blinked in shock, looking around in a daze as her eyes adjusted. When her vision came back into focus, her heart sank when she saw that Rosalie had stepped back. They were still standing close but she might as well have been miles away. She didn’t have time to dwell on her disappointment when she noticed the vampire’s expression.

The look in Rosalie’s eyes promised nothing short of murder. The taller woman was visibly shaking and Bella could have sworn she heard a deep rumbling growl emanating from her chest. 

She instinctively reached up and cupped Rosalie’s jaw in her hand. “Rose, Rose… it’s okay. Look at me… you need to calm down.”

Rosalie stiffened under her touch and her solid black eyes slipped closed. She took several deep unnecessary breaths and when she opened her eyes, they were no longer black but still darker than their usual gold-flecked honey color.

Bella sighed, her shoulders slumped in relief. 

“I’m sorry, Bella. I need to go.” Rosalie’s voice was tense and strained as she struggled to maintain her control and not vamp out in the middle of the gym. 

“I understand, do what you need to do. I’ll see you Monday?”

The blonde nodded, quickly taking Bella’s hand in her own and pressing a soft kiss to the back of her knuckles. With a rush of cool air, Rosalie was gone, leaving a very bewildered human in her wake. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:   
> Sorry, not sorry. It’s too soon, but it’s progress… There’s still stuff Bella has to work through.   
> Also, the electrified octopus is my signature dance move, according to my wife.   
> And googling 2004/2005 top hits was a painful walk down memory lane.


	10. Chapter 10

Bella slowly trudged up the stairs to her room, her legs shaking with every step. By the top stair she was practically crawling on all fours. Apparently dancing required more physical endurance than she realized, and now she was paying her dues. 

She groaned softly and grasped the handrail, silently willing the burn in her legs to subside long enough for her to make it to her bed. With a determined huff, she pushed through the pain and made it to the second floor landing, collapsing onto her back for a quick breather.

Despite her body feeling like it was made of lead, the rest of her was weightless; floating high on clouds. Nothing, not even stiff, aching muscles, could put a damper on her mood.

The evening had been absolutely perfect, everything she’d hoped for and so much more. And to top it off, Rosalie had almost kissed her! 

She would surely have a bruise on her arm from pinching herself so many times. She knew she hadn’t imagined it - she could still feel the vampire’s minty fresh breath on her skin - but she had to check. 

Her heart fluttered and she covered her face with her hands, quietly laughing into her palms as she replayed the scene in her mind. It was all she had thought about since the dance ended and likely would feature in her daydreams for days to come. 

They were so close. 

If only that damn DJ had waited a half second more. 

She lay there on the cool hardwood, cursing the man for ruining the moment. For his sake, she hoped that Rose wouldn’t do something stupid. Logically, she knew that Rosalie had better self control than that and would never hurt a human, regardless of how pissed off she was.  _ Right? _

She was tempted to text her not-date - wait, was that an  _ actual _ date? Not-dates don’t almost kiss their not-dates… - to check in on her, but the memory of Rosalie’s pained expression had her thinking twice. It was clear that she needed time and space to calm down, so that’s what Bella would give her. 

A muscle in her lower back twinged suddenly, reminding her of the uncomfortable position she was in and that wood flooring was a poor substitute for a mattress. She could daydream more about their almost kiss from the comfort of her bed. 

She rolled over and pushed herself up, wobbling slightly on her feet as the muscle aches returned in full force. 

She tiptoed down the hallway and into her room as stealthily as her protesting body would allow, not wanting to wake Charlie. Based on the snores coming from the other room, it was apparent that the poor man was finally getting a good night’s rest after weeks of long hours at the station. 

She hoped that her dad and his team caught the animal terrorizing the surrounding forest soon; for his sake as well as for the safety of everyone in Forks. While she didn’t condone violence or relish the thought of killing another creature, she hated constantly worrying about him and would rest easier once the beast was dealt with.

The animal sightings were becoming more frequent, gracing the news a couple of times a week now. To make matters worse, the activity was escalating and there were now reports of actual attacks. Two hikers had been found dead earlier that week, terribly mutilated. 

When she first heard the news she had thought it was another band of nomads, since ‘animal attack’ had been Carlisle’s go-to cause of death when covering up rogue vampire activity. However there had been no comment about the bodies suffering blood loss - aside from the expected amount that came with being mauled by an animal - not to mention multiple eye witness accounts of the animal itself, so she quickly ruled out her theory. Plus Rosalie hadn’t mentioned anything, and she was certain the blonde would have been aware of any human-drinking interlopers on her turf. 

Her thoughts instantly shifted.

_ Rosalie.  _

_ Rosalie.  _

_ Rosalie.  _

A dopey grin spread across her face as images of her immortal goddess danced in her mind, pushing all other thoughts to the wayside. She was only half paying attention as she slipped off her suit and changed into her pajamas, her thoughts a million miles away. 

The way the immortal woman looked in that stunning red dress.

The way they glided together across the dance floor in perfect harmony.

The way Rosalie Hale almost kissed her. 

She reached up and pinched her arm once more for good measure. 

_ Nope; still not a dream. _

Hope bloomed in her chest. Maybe that’s what Alice’s text meant! Maybe Rosalie actually liked her back! Maybe it was always supposed to be her and Rose! If that was the case, why hadn’t Alice said anything sooner? If nothing else, it would have saved her a lot of heartache and dealing with the fallout of Edward leaving her.

Bella frowned at the thought. There was something more going on here that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

Alice issues aside, she knew that she needed to talk to Rosalie about whatever was going on between them; preferably sooner than later. The near kiss had blurred the metaphorical line in the sand, and they needed to settle things; letting the uncertainty fester between them was the absolute wrong move. 

But that was an issue for tomorrow.

With a wistful sigh, she collapsed into her bed and was asleep in seconds. 

Bella stared up at Rosalie’s perfect face; fingers twitching with temptation to reach up and stroke her pale cheek. And so she did. 

The skin was delightfully soft and smooth, not nearly as cold and hard as she expected. Her body shivered involuntarily as she felt a firm, cool grip settle at her waist, holding her close in response to her gesture.

She hummed to herself as the vampire’s eyes slipped shut for a moment, nuzzling her cheek against the warm palm. 

Her heart thundered in her chest as golden eyes opened once more, revealing the most alluring shade of smoky honey. 

They simply stared at one another for a few moments, a pleasant yet impatient tension building between them. After what felt like a lifetime, the taller woman dipped her head down, lidded gaze focused on Bella’s lips. 

Bella tilted her chin up to meet the red velvet lips as they moved toward her own, determined to claim the kiss she had been denied earlier. 

Her eyes slipped shut as she felt a puff of cool, minty breath on her skin. 

She stayed perfectly still, determined to let the vampire move at her own pace, but the anticipation was killing her.

“Rosalie… please,” She murmured when a few seconds passed.

“Mm… guess again, love.”

Brown eyes shot open, meeting a familiar golden gaze, just not the one she was expecting. 

Edward stared back at her, his lips pulled into a thin, predatory smile.

She jerked away reflexively, trying to wrench herself free of his cold grasp. Thankfully, his hands dropped from her waist without protest, though the amused smirk had her on edge. It was a false sense of security; all part of his game.

She knew that she wouldn’t be able to get away if he decided to give chase. He had made it perfectly clear to her that she wouldn’t be able to outrun him or fight him off when he had revealed his true nature to her last year. She shuddered at the memory of him zipping around in a blur before ripping a tree out by its roots.

Still, it wouldn’t stop her from trying. 

She turned on her heel, quickly searching the crowd for any sign of Rosalie. A flash of red and gold stood out in the dark room, capturing her attention. 

_ There!  _

“Rosalie!”

The vampire was standing with her back to her and didn’t turn around. Perhaps she couldn’t hear over the blaring music?

Undeterred, Bella started making her way through the crowd, pointedly ignoring her ex-boyfriend’s presence behind her. Her desperation built with each step, and she was practically shoving blurred forms of her peers out of her way as she tried to reach Rose. 

She was so close. 

With a final burst of strength she pushed through the crowd and tumbled forward, suddenly finding herself in a familiar location. 

The meadow.

The abrupt change in scenery left her disoriented, the light was too bright and the silence jarring. As she regained her senses, she spun around, looking for any sign of Rose but came up empty.

Just like her other nightmares, her skin prickled and the hair at her nape stood on end. Without waiting, she turned around to face her issue head on.

“Why are you here?” She folded her arms across her chest as she returned his stare. 

“I made a mistake. I never should have left you, so I’ve come to get you back. You belong with me, love. We’re mates.” Edward drawled as he crossed the open field toward her; a confident swagger to his step. 

“Bullshit.” Bella shot back. She knew it was dumb to provoke him but she couldn’t stop herself. “What have you done to Rosalie?”

“Rosalie? Why do you care? She’s gone, Bella. She left at the first chance she could. But unlike me, she won’t come back for you. I read her thoughts, so I know what she thinks of you. She’s glad to be rid of you. She doesn't want to be here playing babysitter for you.”

Bella held her ground, hip cocked to the side. She refused to let Edward’s taunts get to her. “No, Edward. She listens. She cares. She’s my - “

“Friend?” He cut her off with a sneer. “You seriously think that she wants to be friends with someone like you?” 

“Yes, I do. She told me the truth about it all, all of the things you hid from me! Unlike you, she is going to change me,” she challenged. 

“Because she has to. She’s just looking out for herself to save her own skin.”

Bella frowned. She knew that wasn’t right. And yet… She also knew that if Rosalie didn’t turn her then the Volturi would likely come for them and kill them all, so in a way his words rang true. 

She felt her resolve starting to crumble, her voice shaking. “Rosalie isn’t like that.”

“Isn’t she? What do you even know about her, the things she’s done? Has she told you about her life?” 

Bella paused. It was true she knew very little about the blonde, but that didn’t stop her from trusting Rosalie. Rose had always been forthcoming with information in their discussions - painfully blunt, even - and had given Bella no reason to doubt her intentions. At the same time, she had never actually shared anything about herself. 

At the time, Bella hadn’t really thought anything of it. They’d just been so focused on healing her trauma that the topic of Rosalie’s history hadn’t come up in discussion yet. She would open up eventually, right? Or did Rose not trust her in return? 

Her stomach churned uncomfortably, her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. 

“You didn’t actually think she would stay here because she _ wanted _ to be here, did you?” Edward filled the growing silence. “You’re even more foolish than I thought. Silly, gullible human still trying to exist in a world she doesn’t belong in.”

Bella shrank back a few steps, shoulders curling slightly. Memories of being left in the woods came rushing to the surface, and it was all she could do not to spiral back into that familiar, all-consuming darkness she had carefully compartmentalized in the recesses of her mind. He’d used the same phrasing then, too; preying on her insecurities, carefully choosing his words to inflict the most pain just to prove his point.  _ “This was a mistake. You were a mistake. You don’t belong in my world…” _

“It’s not like that… she… I…”

His face morphed into an expression of mock pity, and he clicked his tongue condescendingly. “Oh, this is just too precious. Don’t tell me you actually fell in love with her.”

Bella’s cheeks burned. Her feelings for Rosalie had only continued to strengthen with time, to the point of surpassing what would be considered a simple crush. She had been feeling this way for a while now, but she hadn’t fully admitted it to herself yet. 

“Even if you love her, do you honestly think she could love you in return?” Edward scoffed and looked away for a moment before turning back to her, his eyes dark and flashing dangerously. “Do you truly think you have a chance?” 

“Stop… please, stop.” She croaked, her throat painfully dry.

“She is literal perfection. You’re not worthy of her affections and you’re just deluding yourself if you think otherwise. She could do so much better than you. You should just let it go and move on. You’re only hurting yourself by holding on to something that will never come to pass. Lucky for you, we’re mates, so I accept your shortcomings and love you as you are.”

“I’m not your mate.” Bella felt a flicker of fight return, but it faded quickly; snuffed out by the darkness swirling at the edges of her thoughts. “Rose told me that mates can choose - ”

“Oh, so you think she’d actually choose you? What could you possibly offer someone like her, hmm? She deserves the world and you are nothing compared to her. She’s strong, intelligent, and beautiful whereas you're just a weak, little mortal.” 

Each word lanced through her like a white hot knife through butter, flaying her alive from the inside out. Her breathing came in short spurts, her shoulders shook as she tried to hold back her sobs. Despite her efforts to hold back the tears, one slipped out against her wishes. Then another. 

Her heart was being crushed inside her chest, the darkness that filled the void was crippling and it was all she could do to keep from collapsing on the spot. 

Unfortunately for her, Edward didn’t relent, driving the proverbial knife in further. “Oh, I see… You think that you’re good enough for her but not me?” 

“I’m not good enough for either of you!” She cried out, finally reaching her breaking point. She stood there, chest heaving as she glared up at him, not fully registering what she had said. 

Her declaration was met with deafening silence; Edward’s face twisted and smug.

The full weight of her words came crashing down around her a moment later. She bowed her head, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. 

“I’m not good enough.” She repeated, her voice broken; defeated. 

“No. You’re not.” 

Edward’s final words echoed loudly in her mind as Bella jerked awake, sitting bolt upright in the center of her bed. Her heart raced and her forehead was drenched in sweat. Her pillow was still damp from her tears, which she quickly flipped over. 

“It was just a dream, it was just a dream.” She murmured as she lay back down, wiping the salty tracks from her cheeks. 

She lay in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling as she tried to calm herself down, quietly working through some of the calming techniques Rosalie had suggested to her. 

Eventually her heart rate steadied and breathing evened out, her able mind to think more clearly.

It was abundantly clear to her that her active mind and her subconscious were at odds. 

She knew that the cruel words in her dream weren’t real. She wasn’t that weak, pitiful girl anymore. 

She had entered that ballet studio, knowing full well what awaited her. She had maced a vampire in the face and endured his torture. She didn’t break when he snapped her leg in half and demanded she beg for mercy and vengeance. 

And yet…

There was still deep seated hurt; the pain of being told she was worthless by the one who would supposedly love her for eternity. 

That was bound to leave a mark, the kind that defied all logic, and it wouldn’t go away until she addressed it. Only acknowledging it head on would she be able to move forward, otherwise she would forever be a slave to her fear and insecurity. 

She had been dragging her feet but it was time to face her demons, heal, and make herself whole. How could she ask someone else to accept her when she couldn’t even accept herself? How could she possibly love another when she couldn’t fully love herself?

She knew what she had to do. 

She grabbed her phone off the nightstand, eyes squinting against the sudden brightness of her screen. 

**[Bella: 4:28am] ‘I’m ready to talk about Edward.’**

  
  
  



	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold onto your butts, this Is gonna be a bumpy ride.

A thick blanket of fog rolled in overnight and settled over the Olympic peninsula, absorbing the meager rays of light that managed to penetrate the cloud cover. The misty veil cast a foreboding shadow as far as the eye could see. 

_‘Figures it would be depressing today. Can’t catch a damn break, can I?’_ Bella grumbled internally as she huffed and puffed and slipped her way through the dense forest. 

Logically, she knew she shouldn’t be surprised by the dreariness - it _was_ winter in Washington after all - but the gloomy weather hit her especially hard today. It was as if Mother Nature could sense her apprehension and was toying with her, boxing her in, and cutting off all escape routes. 

“Rosalie, if you can hear me, I’m really regretting taking your advice right now!” She yelled out into the thick wall of fog and greenery. 

Rosalie’s suggestion of going back to the place that held the most significance to her as a sort of ‘cutting of ties’ exercise had seemed like a good idea at the time; poetic even. In reality, tromping around aimlessly in the woods - especially for one as accident-prone and exercise-adverse as Bella - was a horrible idea. Unfortunately for Bella, her past-self had been so focused on the end goal that she hadn’t registered what ‘getting there’ would entail; an oversight she was now paying dearly for. 

In her defense, Rose had offered to accompany her, but Bella wanted to do it on her own; a symbolic conquering her personal Everest. The pair went back and forth for several minutes, both bringing valid points to the table.

In the end, they managed a compromise that suited them both. Rosalie would keep her distance so Bella could have her privacy but would be close enough to assist if the situation called for it. 

Aside from having someone to talk to, having Rosalie accompany her wouldn’t have made much difference in helping her reach her destination. The blonde had no idea where Edward’s meadow was and Bella only had a general inkling of where she was heading. 

“Up the mountain, out of the cloud bank” wasn’t exactly a well-known spot on the map. 

Bella‘s mind started to wander as she plodded along, trying to distract herself from the steadily growing cramp in her calf.

_“I don’t really know where to start...”_

_“Why don’t you try from the beginning.”_

_“Okay, then.” Bella paused to take a deep breath, thinking back. “It was a dreary Monday; raining, of course. I’d just moved from Phoenix and was feeling homesick and lost, both literally and existentially. I was overwhelmed by navigating the new school and questioning if I’d made the right decision moving to Forks, especially with Mike and Eric vying for my attention like I was a shiny new toy._

_“By lunch, things were starting to level out and I was finally getting my bearings. Then five of the most impossibly beautiful people I had ever seen walked into the cafeteria and turned everything upside down again. I thought you were angels, or like, the cast of the latest CW show that got lost and ended up here by accident. I was instantly and completely enamored.”_

_“You certainly watched us very closely. Some more than others.”_

_“Well, duh, how could I not? I mean, you own a mirror. And you know the effect you have on humans.” Bella shot back, earning an amused lip twitch. “Fast forward a week or so and Edward started talking to me after he returned from his disappearing act. Honestly, he kind of pissed me off at first with all of his mood swings and cryptic messages, but I also liked the attention. And I’ll admit, part if it was a bit petty on my part because it got a rise out of Jessica._

_“After a few weeks, I realized that things weren’t as they seemed; the facts just didn’t line up. It took me a while to put it together: the van incident, the cold skin, the color-changing eyes, the ‘special diet.’ Eventually, I figured it out.”_

_“And yet you stayed, despite knowing what we are. That still baffles me to this day. Most humans instinctively avoid us. It’s a paradox. We simultaneously draw them in and scare them away.”_

_“Well, you could say I’m not like ‘most humans.’” Bella used air quotes to emphasize her point and throw Rose’s words back at her._

_“You certainly aren’t.” Golden eyes danced brightly for a moment before darkening, taking on a somber expression. “Tell me more about Edward. Why did you stay with him even after he told you he was drawn to your blood?”_

_“It… added to the allure.” Bella shook her head softly, eyes downcast for a moment before returning Rosalie’s gaze. “I knew that Edward thirsted for my blood and that I was tempting fate, but that didn’t stop me. There was a perverse thrill in not knowing if he was going to kiss or kill me; that any moment could be my last. On top of that, I felt special for once. In my mind, I’d won the relationship lottery. He could have chosen anyone, but he chose me._

_“Growing up, no one put me first - not even my own mother. I had never been someone’s number one before, so to be_ **_his_ ** _was really meaningful.” She spat the word out like it was something vile. “I liked that he focused so much on me, like I was the center of his universe. I knew that he struggled with control around me, so I thought that him not giving in or hurting me was proof of how much he cared about me. I thought it was romantic and chivalrous how he would watch over me, even when I slept. He said that as my mate it was his job to protect me at all times.”_

_Rosalie held her tongue but her expression betrayed her - her lips curled into a subtle sneer, her nose wrinkled slightly. Up until this point she’d maintained a neutral demeanor, but it was obvious that the false mate claim was still a sore spot for the blonde._

_“I didn’t realize how much he was actually controlling me. I don’t blame you for not wanting to be around me back then, I was just this little obedient, mindless sheep following him around. If I were in your position, I’d probably have been disgusted with myself, too._

_“Everything about my life revolved around him in one way or another. I didn’t realize just how much of my identity I had associated with him. I wasn’t Bella, anymore. I was ‘Edward’s Bella.’ And the part that gets me now is that I think on some level I was aware of it all happening but I was still okay with it; wanted it, even. I guess I was just young and had my first crush or whatever, so I could argue that I didn’t know any better…”_

“Fuck!” Bella swore loudly as she slipped on a mossy log, slicing her finger. “Okay, this stupid meadow had better be close.” She grumbled as she sucked on her fingertip to staunch the bleeding, wincing at the metallic taste. 

_‘Better get used to it.’_ She thought with a wry chuckle; the irony wasn’t lost on her.

She’d never been a big fan of blood. The mere sight of a few drops during the blood typing lab in biology class had made her head spin. Soon enough it was going to make her head spin again, but for completely different reasons. 

She checked her phone. She’d been hiking for over an hour and so far nothing looked particularly familiar. Then again, Edward always carried her at vamp speed, so it wasn’t like she could stop and get a good look at the landmarks along the way. Oddly, being lost didn’t deter her, it only fueled her determination to succeed and overcome this temporary obstacle. 

She straightened her jacket, took a deep breath, and headed off again; pointedly ignoring the throbbing index finger. 

_“I know now that it wasn’t healthy, but I practically worshipped him. I put him up on a pedestal, just out of reach. It made me self-conscious about dating him, at least subconsciously. I was constantly wondering why he would want to be with me while being equally worried that he might leave me one day for someone better. I thought that every day he stayed with me was a gift and that I should be grateful. I wanted to please him, so he’d stay with me. I never spoke up because I worried that if I did then he might get angry and leave. We’d joke and banter - or at least that’s what I thought it was - so I thought I still had some clout in the relationship. In reality, when it came to serious stuff, it was always him calling the shots._

_“On top of that, I felt like I was constantly trying to prove myself worthy of his affection, but never quite meeting the mark. No matter what I did, I’d always fall short. I’d never be enough. He often laughed at my clumsiness and general lack of grace, or said that I should just listen to him because he knew better from XYZ experience or simply because I was just a naive human. I didn’t see how that behavior was manipulative and reinforced my insecurities about not being good enough. I think that eventually I just subconsciously accepted and internalized it as I’ve always done.”_

_Bella could see Rosalie had gone as still as a statue, her fists clenched on top of the desk, but she couldn't stop. Not now._

_“When he left me in the woods, telling me that our relationship was a mistake and that he was leaving because I wasn’t enough for him… because he didn’t want me…” She paused to wipe a tear away as it slipped down her cheek. “Everything came crashing down around me. We were supposed to be forever. He said he loved me, and I loved him. And then in an instant it was gone. There are no words to accurately or fully describe what I felt. The pain damn near crushed me.”_

_Golden eyes burned with rage. Her body remained rigid, but the vampire was clearly struggling to keep her emotions in check._

_Rose’s phone started buzzing incessantly in her pocket. The sound of crunching plastic and metal followed soon after, though the vampire had moved too fast for Bella to see the actual crushing blow. The brunette surmised it was Alice trying to talk Rosalie out of doing whatever she was suddenly planning._

_“I'd spent so long being ‘Edward’s Bella’ that I didn’t know who I was without him. Everywhere I went, I saw ghosts of what I’d lost, constantly reminding me of my inadequacy. I don’t think I moved from my bed for a week, but not even that was safe. Each night was plagued by nightmares, reliving those awful moments.”_

_Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She didn’t bother brushing them away since they were falling in an endless stream. On top of that, she needed this. Crying was a release she hadn't realized she’d been missing. It hurt like hell admitting all of this, but it needed to happen._

_Her body shook as she openly sobbed, but as the minutes passed and the tears started to slow, she started to feel better. Freer. The weight she’d been unconsciously carrying inside was lighter and the chains guarding her heart felt a little looser._

_“Sorry, I’m a messy crier.”_

_Rosalie huffed and rolled her eyes, “Really? That’s what you’re concerned about?”_

_“I think it’s a bit valid. I’m a snotty, puffy, hiccuping mess and you look like you walked off the runway.”_

_“There’s not much I wouldn’t give to have one more chance to be a snotty, puffy, hiccuping mess again. Hold on a second.” Rosalie zoomed out of the room in a blur and rush of cool air, returning a moment later with a box of tissues and damp washcloth._

_“Thanks.” Bella grabbed a wad of Kleenex and blew her nose. She cringed internally at the unrefined sound and knowing that it was probably ten times worse for Rosalie to listen to, but it was better than sniffling and trying to breathe through a congested nose._

_“You really want this?” She asked with a wry chuckle._

_“More than you know. It’s amazing what you miss when you suddenly can't do it anymore. I don’t necessarily_ **_want_ ** _to cry, but it would be nice to have the ability if I did want to. It’s just such a human thing to do.”_

_“What else do you miss?”_

_“Sleeping.”_

_“I’ll never take it for granted again.” Bella deadpanned as she reached for another tissue to dry her eyes._

_“Life is such a fragile thing, you should cherish it while you can.” Bella simply nodded her understanding at the somber advice and warning._

_“It’s different for everyone,” Rosalie continued her explanation. “For instance, Emmett doesn’t mind not sleeping. He fills his time gaming and crushing the hopes and dreams of unsuspecting internet ‘noobs,’ whatever that means. Honestly, I stopped trying to keep up with him. His thing is food. He misses eating. I’ve watched him stare at a steak for hours as he tried to imagine what it would taste like. He did not appreciate it when I answered ‘Dirt, but go ahead and try it to prove me wrong.’”_

_“That sounds like him.”_

_The pair laughed softly at the attempt of humor, their chuckles fading away into a natural lull. They sat in companionable silence as Bella collected her thoughts again. There had been something weighing on her mind and the opportunity was here for the taking._

_“I… there’s something else that I wanted to talk to you about. I just… I’m not sure how to say it.”_

_“You can talk to me about anything, Bella.” Rosalie shot her a warm, reassuring smile. It still caught Bella off guard to see Rose so open now, relatively speaking. The vampire still maintained her dignified and confident composure but it was nice to see a smile here and there._

_“Well, the way I was with Edward… sometimes I catch myself doing that with you, too.”_

_A blonde eyebrow raised high, expectant._

_“Not the rolling over like a doormat bit…” the brunette hastily clarified. “The pedestal, I mean. I worry that I'm not enough for you, either.” Bella held her breath as she waited for the blonde’s reaction. It was the first time she’d addressed any of her feelings toward Rose. She hadn’t intended to bring this up today or in this fashion, but it felt like an appropriate segue given the turn in their conversation. Since she was already putting her cards on the table, why stop now?_

_Rosalie’s eyes flicked up, her brow pinched slightly and lips pursed._

_“I don’t want to hold you back or like, for you to feel obligated to me because you’ve had to claim me because of that vampire law. Even after you change me, I feel like I’ll be a sort of burden as I learn how to navigate being a newborn. I guess that I just don’t want to do all this moving forward then be doomed to repeat the past.”_

_“What are you saying, Bella?”_

_Bella took a deep steadying breath, trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice. “I like you, Rose. I don’t know when it happened, but it did. And then at the dance… well, I thought maybe you felt the same way?” Bella shuffled in her seat but now that she’d opened the can of worms, she decided to keep rolling, though doubt started seeping in when the vampire failed to respond._ _“I know it’s foolish of me to think I have a chance with you -“_

_“Bella -” Rose warned but Bella kept going._

_“And I hate that I have this baggage and you’re being so nice to listen and help me work through it. And it’s not fair to you. You shouldn’t have to deal with that. I want to make myself better. First and foremost for myself but also so that I can be who you deserve, not some broken thing needing to be patched up. I guess broken isn't the right word. Maybe I was a bit right after he left but not now. I just… All that pain and insecurity, it’s still there. I still have nightmares about it, you've witnessed one. And I know that I’m healing, actually healing and not just deflecting, but it will take a while for me.”_

_“Bella, please…” The vampire came out from behind the desk and settled on the couch next to her, reaching out and taking her hand. A cool thumb rubbed soothing circles against her wrist. “I'm not dismissing or discrediting your concerns, and I applaud you for recognizing them, but I’d like to say that that is your fear talking, your past… I don’t want you to feel like you have to change for me, Bella. You are enough, more so, exactly as you are.”_

_Bella’s lip quivered slightly, but she managed to hold Rosalie’s intense gaze._

_“We all have baggage - Lord knows I have my share, and I promise to tell you one day. As for your other concerns, I’d like you to do me a favor. Please let me determine what I do or do not ‘want to deal with’ for myself instead of deciding for me. I promise to do the same for you.”_

_“But…”_

_Rosalie’s eyes flashed in warning. “Listen to me very closely. You are enough.” The blonde emphasized every word. “And anyone who makes you think otherwise is a fool. I’m glad I got to see this side of you. Thank you for letting me in and giving me a chance to see how wonderful you are.”_

_“What about Edward? He’s your brother and I don’t want to make it weird.”_

_Rosalie just shrugged. “He’s your past. We can’t change that, but like what you’re doing now, we can learn from it as we look to the future… and I’d like to be your future. If you’ll have me, that is.”_

_Bella could only blink for several seconds, her mouth hanging agape. She’d never seen Rosalie look so open, so vulnerable. It melted her heart and filled her with the urge to fling her arms around her and soothe the doubt clouding her eyes. And yet._

_“I can’t give you my all right now… but one day.”_

_“That’s fine, Bella. I’m a very patient woman. You take all the time you need.”_

Bella was so caught up in her memory of Rosalie’s admission and her promise to tell her about her history that she barely registered that she had punched through the thick undergrowth and emerged into a perfectly round clearing. 

She’d been dreaming of this place, haunted by the memories, for so long that she thought she would have a more adverse reaction to being here. Looking around it was… ordinary. Whatever magic had been there before was gone. It was just a meadow. Brown, soggy stalks of grass were matted down by the rain and scattered patches of ice. 

“Well, certainly not what I was expecting. Kinda underwhelming, to be honest.” She spoke aloud, unable to hold back her bitter disappointment. Her anticipated triumph in finding the meadow fell short of her expectations. 

She looked around, taking in the sad surroundings. Ghosts of her past - images of the times she spent here with Edward - swirled in the mist before evaporating into thin air, leaving nothing in their wake. She took a deep breath and nodded to herself in affirmation. 

It was time. 

She’d spent the week between her talk with Rose and coming up here to plan what she would say, trying to think of what would have the most impact. She’d worked through several speeches and had even looked up prayers and meditations for inspiration as she searched for the right words. The answer came to her like a flashing neon sign the day prior. 

"It's time to let you go, for me to move on. This is the last time you'll ever see me. I won't come back, and you can go on with your life without any interference from me. It'll be like I never existed, I promise."

Bella closed her eyes as her words drifted away, savoring the feeling of the final weight she'd been carrying deep inside lifting off her chest. She took several deep, unobstructed breaths, filling her lungs for the first time in months.

Maybe Rosalie had been right all along. She _needed_ this. 

She stood there, reveling in the moment. It was peaceful, calm. 

The hairs on the back of her neck started to prickle. Her breath caught in her lungs and blood froze in her veins. 

_‘No, no this isn’t right… this isn’t supposed to happen. This isn’t a dream. This can’t be a dream. It will go away, it’s not real.’_ Her mind reeled. 

“Bella…” a whisper in the wind reached her ear. It was so faint she might have missed it if not for the familiar sense of dread creeping in, saturating her to the bone. 

Bella’s eyes shot open, flashing around to find the source. 

A lone figure stood at the tree line, blending in like a shadow, so obscured she almost missed it. 

A second later, the figure blurred forward, coming to a halt about ten feet from her. She recoiled on instinct, taking in the familiar countenance.

“Laurent…” 


End file.
